Category Archives: Op-eds

What the Liberal Democrats should learn from Ciudadanos

By Hannah Bettsworth | Sun 20th December 2015 - 2:50 pm

These past two weeks have taken me back to being a 16 year old first starting to watch election debates in the UK. I’ve watched so many Spanish debates I know the campaign messages off by heart, and, being a young person, I’m up to date with all the Twitter memes. A (comparatively) young centrist leader, Albert Rivera, branded as a kingmaker, and constantly questioned about who he’ll seek to work with after the elections can’t help but be compared to Nick Clegg, especially when considered to be “the sexiest candidate in the campaign according to all the polls.”, and when the PSOE is talking about a vote for anyone else as a vote for the PP. It’s all oddly familiar. That comparison to Britain has backed Rivera into a corner, to an extent – the narrative over the last few weeks has been that Ciudadanos won’t enter into a coalition unless they are the party leading it.

However, the comparisons with 2010 extend further – there has been a serious drop in C’s support over the past few days, and today’s headline is that they will remain kingmakers but get far less seats than expected. Looking at the Andorran fruit markets (a cipher for polling, which cannot be published in the five days before the election) gave me the same feeling of shock as seeing the exit polls in the UK election. We’ll see what happens – I’ve already turned down a bet on the election result as a fool’s errand this morning – but chances are that it won’t be possible to live up to the hype.

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Tagged cuidadanos, spain and spanish general election | 17 Comments

Caron’s Sunday Selection: Must-read articles from the Sunday papers

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 20th December 2015 - 11:34 am

Here are a few articles which have caught my eye from the Sunday papers.

In the Observer, Andrew Rawnsley looks at various Tory measures which weaken our democracy, from one-sided restrictions on party funding to curbing the power of the House of Lords.

The one thing I will pull him up on is this:

He (Cameron) went along with an attempt to reform the Lords during the coalition because the Lib Dems insisted upon it, but he didn’t fight all that hard to prevent it from being sabotaged by Tory MPs and peers. His election manifesto dismissed Lords reform as “not a priority”.

He seems to have forgotten that it’s Labour’s refusal to support the programme motion in the Commons that actually derailed the process. We could have an 80% elected chamber by now if Labour had just supported a bill which, although not everything either party would have wanted, was much better than the situation we have now.

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12 Comments

Postcard from Madrid: Spanish forgiveness presents unique opportunity for Podemos

By Sam Postlethwaite | Sat 19th December 2015 - 8:26 pm

I have noticed during my time in Spain, and research prior, that equivocation and outright policy reversals are not met with the same scorn and derision by the media and general public here that they are in UK politics.

Mariano Rajoy, Pedro Sanchez and Pablo Iglesias have all, at some point in recent years, reneged, retracted, backtracked or outright refuted stances or statements they once held or pronounced, with very little cost to their wider popularity. In the United Kingdom at least, this is a cardinal sin; pure sacrilege. An example of how overt Spanish politicians are when backpedalling can be seen in Rajoy´s response to hiking VAT in 2012 after pledging not to, “I said I would lower taxes and I am raising them. I haven´t changed my way of thinking but circumstances have changed”. Who, in the run up to this year´s election, has mentioned this as a reason for rebuke against Rajoy?

The Liberal Democrats suffered a complete collapse partly because of such a manoeuvre (losing 48 seats in the 2015 UK general election), whilst just recently John McDonnell and then David Cameron were the subjects of much ridicule for making statements which they then failed to act upon (McDonnell’s U-turn on George Osbourne´s fiscal charter proposal, and Cameron failing to come to a decision on Heathrow by the end of this year). There’s been no such reprimand for Iglesias and his abandoning of “basic universal income” and a “citizen’s audit of Spanish public debt” – both policies he included in his European election manifesto, but which are absent from this year’s, “An economic plan for the people”. This is great news for him, as he’s being granted license to remould his and his party’s image.

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Also posted in Europe / International | Tagged podemos, spain and spanish general election | 2 Comments

“Look after the unemployment, and the budget will look after itself ” (Keynes 1933). Is he still right? 

By Peter Martin | Sat 19th December 2015 - 1:25 pm

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Keynes was undeniably a genius of his time, but he wasn’t infallible. We should not just assume that he was always correct. As with all prolific writers we can cherry-pick quotations to suit our own political purposes. If we want to argue for more government spending, we can use this:

For the proposition that supply creates its own demand, I shall substitute the proposition that expenditure creates its own income.

(Collected Writings of John Maynard Keynes, Volume XXIX, pp 80-81)

Keynes meant that the mere supply of a commodity is not enough to ensure the sale of that commodity, but money from all government spending inevitably ends up in someone’s pocket. This is a statement of the obvious, maybe, but he evidently felt it needed making anyway. On the other hand, if we are suspicious of what sounds like “magic money tree” economics, as many scathingly describe any deviation from their understanding of ‘sound money’, we can find this quotation:

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Tagged economics, john maynard keynes and unemployment | 12 Comments

ALDC’s by-election report – 17 December 2015

By ALDC | Sat 19th December 2015 - 10:26 am

There were two second place finishes for Liberal Democrat candidates in this week’s six principal council by-elections. In Brent (LB), Sarah Dickson recorded an 8.7% vote share increase for the Lib Dems in Kensal Green as the party polled 23.9%, with Labour holding the seat with 53.4% of the vote. There was another second place for the Liberal Democrats in East Hertfordshire (DC). Rob Lambie polled 19.5% in Hertford Heath ward, with no Lib Dem candidate having stood there in May.
The winning candidate was due to represent the Conservatives, but following a problem with their nomination papers, appeared as ‘no description’ on the ballet paper. A similar issue befell the Liberal Democrats in Ryedale (DC), as they polled 10.2% to finish fourth in Derwent, although the party didn’t officially appear on the ballot. The Liberal Party went on to gain the seat from the Conservatives.

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Tagged aldc and local government by-elections | 2 Comments

Postcard from Barcelona: The people’s concerns remain unanswered

By Sam Postlethwaite | Sat 19th December 2015 - 8:55 am

Barcelona have never been particularly enthused by the right wing Partido Popular – although Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy´s party is still expected to pick up three or four seats – however it´s no longer just them that a vast majority of the population now rally against. Mayor of Barcelona and En Comu Podem member, Ada Colau, expands her anti-´la casta´ (the establishment) rhetoric to include not just PP and the socialist PSOE, but also Convergencia and Ciudadanos.

“I’ve never seen PP, PSOE, Ciudadanos or Convergencia in a protest to stop evictions, defend healthcare or protect employment rights,” she said during a recent rally. The loudest cheer she received during this speech was in response to her statement that “PP is a party that really doesn’t care about human life”, a statement that, based on their presence in Catalonia, PP would be hard-pressed to refute.

Colau was one of the founders, and now chief spokesperson for, the PAH, who are a citizen´s movement focused on the right to housing. PAH yesterday exemplified Colau´s non-discriminatory rhetoric against all opposing political parties by plastering the posters of PP, PSOE and Ciudadanos in Barcelona with stickers accusing them of intending to vote against their ´5 demands´ (which include non-recourse debt, affordable rent, stop evictions, social housing and right to utilities). PAH are just one of many ´mareas´ (tides) spawned by the Indignados movement of May 15^th 2011.

Another example of the disaffected tides of unhappy citizens that Rajoy has had to confront is ´Juventud Sin Futuro´ (Youth Without Future) – 260,000 people aged between 16 and 30 left Spain to find work abroad in 2012. Unemployment in Spain has indeed decreased from its peak of 27 per cent in 2013 by roughly six points, however the situation remains grave.

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Also posted in Europe / International | Tagged spain and spanish general election | Leave a comment

Fighting for liberalism at home and abroad: Liberal Democrat International Office’s highlights of 2015

By Liberal Democrat International Office | Fri 18th December 2015 - 2:45 pm

With the current turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa and the rise of nationalism across Europe, the need for a liberal voice in politics has never been greater. It is the goal of the Liberal Democrat International Office to support liberal parties to champion liberalism in their home countries and strengthen our relationships with the party’s international partners. Our work ensures the Liberal Democrats remain at the forefront of the battle for liberalism both at home and abroad.

The International Office team (left to right: Harriet Shone, Isabelle Pucher, Nick Thorne, Derya Ozgun and Iain Gill) at the ALDE Congress in Budapest, managing Baroness Ros Scott’s successful election campaign as ALDE Vice President.

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Also posted in Europe / International | Tagged international office | 2 Comments

Postcard from Barcelona: Election debate shows digital disconnect of main party leaders

By Sam Postlethwaite | Fri 18th December 2015 - 10:25 am

If the number of times I was the subject of some elaborate pick-pocketing scam whilst in Barcelona is any indication of the financial hardship that is faced by the local population then the situation there, despite increases in employment and GDP growth since 2013, remains desperate.

Whether walking down Las Ramblas – “the wide central artery of the town” as George Orwell put it – or enjoying breakfast just off Carrer de Balmes, I was put on constant alert; expectantly awaiting the next attempt by one of the chancers to relieve me of my valuables. What these individuals lacked in subtlety and deftness, however, they made up for in creativity.

Originality, imagination and audacity comparable only to the scathing ´golpes bajos´ (low blows) exchanged by Spanish Prime Minister and Partido Popular leader Mariano Rajoy and Socialist opposition leader Pedro Sanchez during Monday night´s debate. This two-way tirade of colourful insults saw one poll declare neither of the men victor, whilst many other commentators awarded the victory to the absent party leaders of Podemos and Ciudadanos.

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Also posted in Europe / International | Tagged spanish general election | 3 Comments

Royal access to official secrets must stop

By Antony Hook | Fri 18th December 2015 - 8:55 am

In recent days it has been revealed that Prince Charles and Prince William have access to UK official secrets. Charles “routinely receives” secret documents including Cabinet papers. It is not clear whether access stops at the two of them.

This is entirely inappropriate and should cease.

In a democracy, control of the state rests, or should rest, with the elected government. A monarch’s role is purely ceremonial and should entail no real control over any part of the state. The Queen (or William, Charles, George or another person who may succeed her) is unqualified to exercise power, has not been chosen by the people to do so, is subject to few checks and balances and is not accountable to the electorate.

Ministers, officials and others sometimes need access to official secrets to do their work, although almost none have unfettered access. An individual can see secret material relevant to their duties. As members of the Royal Family, William and Charles have no public duties to which secret material could be relevant.

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Tagged monarchy and official secrets | 35 Comments

End of Term Report: Tim Farron

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 17th December 2015 - 9:30 pm

It’s five months since Tim Farron’s first full day as leader. As the political term comes to an end, how has he done in the role so far? What has he done well, and where is there room for improvement? Be warned, this is a long one. You might want to get a cup of tea and a biscuit.

First, let’s look at the highlights:

Those amazing speeches

That first one, just after his election. Have you embraced your diagnosis yet?

And then that emotional debut Conference speech with that impassioned section where he called out David Cameron for his failure to help refugees:

One of the reasons I supported him for leader was because of the heartfelt way he articulated our values:

We have a hell of a mountain to climb at the moment. It’s going to take a lot of work. It’s going to take a leader who’s zingy, persistent, gutsy, noisy and awkward who can articulate a liberalism that’s relevant, practical, optimistic and joyful. Tim Farron fits that bill as close to perfectly as it gets.

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Tagged featured and tim farron | 21 Comments

Can Liberals stop Marine Le Pen?

By Joe Zammit-Lucia | Thu 17th December 2015 - 2:58 pm

The World War II defeat of fascism ushered Europe into an era where liberal democracy became the undisputed political ideology. West Germany became an exemplary democracy. By the end of the 1970s, the dictatorships of Spain, Portugal and Greece had disappeared and these countries soon transformed themselves into liberal, democratic states. 1989 saw the fall of the Berlin Wall rapidly followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the eventual expansion of liberal democratic ideals into former Soviet states. In Europe, the success of liberal democratic ideals seemed total and irreversible.

As is often the case, success breeds a complacency that soon turns to hubris. To many of us the idea that liberal and democratic ideals could be reversed just as quickly as they had taken hold was utterly inconceivable. As a result, we started first to forget and then to undermine some of the core principles that underpin the success of liberal democracy. We forgot that democracy derives its legitimacy from a politically engaged population not from the ruling class. We forgot that a system where the idea of democracy is reduced to no more than giving people the opportunity to vote once every five years or so is no democracy at all.

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Spain’s historic liberal opportunity

By Martin Petts | Thu 17th December 2015 - 12:41 pm

Buckling under the weight of economic stagnation, endemic corruption and institutional failure, the old duopoly in Spanish politics of the right-leaning Popular Party (PP) and centre-left Socialists is finally breaking down. With just days to go until the general election on 20 December, voters look to be splitting four ways. On the hard left, Podemos has profited from the frustrations of many, but in the centre ground Ciudadanos (C’s) offers new hope for liberal minded voters.

Liberalism tends to be a dirty word in Spain. The country has had precious few popular liberal movements in its history and the label tends to be hijacked by the right, meaning many Spaniards equate the term with a “one rule for them, one for us” mentality, or corporate cronyism.

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Tagged Ciudadanos, featured and spain | 14 Comments

The strange priorities of Yes Shetland

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 17th December 2015 - 10:50 am

I had a wee meander round the Facebook page of Yes Shetland this morning. It was not an edifying experience.

This is a place where you can be banished from the page for using a non-profane insult to the Orkney 4, as the petitioners in the Alistair Carmichael case have become known, but it seems to be perfectly acceptable to suggest hiring a hit man for Alistair Carmichael. To be fair, I wouldn’t allow that sort of name-calling for the Orkney 4 (or anyone else) on here either, but if any of our lot suggested hiring a hit-man for anyone, I’d be on them like a tonne of bricks. No way is it ever acceptable.

The admins of the page, under the guise of Buster, the Cat Rampant (but with our menagerie of Newsanimals, we are not judging) writes:

We have removed somebody for calling the Orkney Four “clowns”, on the crowd funder link, a seemingly innocuous remark?
Had they disagreed with the crowd funder they could have said so, or deemed it a waste of money which could have been put to good use elsewhere – no problems.

People have already posted these views and they are still here.

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Tagged Scotland | 15 Comments

Farron calls for flood protection for small businesses and much more in Commons speech

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 16th December 2015 - 9:32 am

Tim Farron has rightly been preoccupied with helping his constituents with the aftermath of the terrible flooding which has hit his Cumbria constituency. His most recent initiative is to ask the Government to extend the Flood Re scheme, which will give insurance protection to home-owners in areas at risk from flooding, to small businesses from April next year.

He cites 125,000 businesses which have either been refused cover completely or quoted an unaffordable price for insurance.

Tim said:

As devastating as the floods have been for home owners here in Cumbria, it has been equally catastrophic for the small businesses which are the backbone of our local economy.

With the impact of climate change this isn’t going to be the last time communities are hit by flooding and it will become more and more difficult for small businesses to get affordable insurance.

The Government needs to get serious about the situation we are in and extend the Flood Re scheme to small businesses, before even more see their businesses devastated by the financial cost of flooding.

Tim won praise from the Federation of Small Businesses yesterday for making the point that Cumbria’s businesses were open and looking for custom:

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Tagged climate change, Cumbria, flooding, speeches and tim farron | 1 Comment

Lord Paul Tyler writes…Votes at 16: Labour flunks it again

By Paul Tyler | Tue 15th December 2015 - 5:04 pm

As soon as it was known that 16 and 17 year old would have a say in the referendum on Scottish independence, I tabled a Bill in the Lords for a comprehensive change in the franchise. I have long believed that there is a strong case for lowering the voting age, in light of the maturity and political awareness of this group, and the many, much rehearsed adult responsibilities they take on. There is a pragmatic argument too, which is simply that creating a seamless link for as many young people as possible between citizenship education in schools, electoral registration in the classroom, and then actual participation at the ballot box, is likely to instil the habit of voting throughout later life.

With the advent of the EU Referendum Bill, I thought that even those who had reservations would surely accept that 16 and 17 year olds who had so successfully been given a say in the 2014 Scottish referendum could not be excluded from the franchise in a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union. Labour told us that they agreed.

Our campaign then started out quite well. With cross-party support for the principle at Committee Stage (when the Lords rarely votes), and then a thumping majority of 82 for the amendment at Report Stage, we were set-fair to force a government rethink. Or so you would think.

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Tagged eu referendum, featured and votes at 16 | 15 Comments

Sustainable food the liberal way

By Sam Lomas | Tue 15th December 2015 - 11:00 am

Globally, the way we produce food is unsustainable. In the UK alone millions of tonnes of food are being thrown away, soil quality is deteriorating and dairy farmers are shutting up shop on a daily basis because of crazy supermarket price wars.

At the moment 800,000,000 people are ‘food insecure’ meaning they go hungry periodically. Not many are predicting the situation to improve, there is forecast to be a 69% gap between the crop calories produced now and those needed by 2050.

I see the problem as divided into 3 main sections: not enough food for a growing global population, an increasingly unsustainable global food production system and resource intensive diets.

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Tagged featured, Food and food security | 9 Comments

The role of profit in ambition for housebuilding

By Joe Otten | Tue 15th December 2015 - 8:54 am

We have planning permission for around 8000 units granted and unstarted in Sheffield, and numerous brownfield sites which are considered unviable for development. The authority is in danger of not meeting its housing land supply, and a green belt review is looming. This is a northern perspective, and I daresay the issues are different in the south.

Now a common feature of the planning system as it operates in practice seems to be the negotiation between planners and developers to add conditions and extract gains from developments to serve public interest goals, such as:

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Tagged featured and housing | 25 Comments

We need to balance the Budget over the business cycle as Keynes suggested, right?

By Peter Martin | Mon 14th December 2015 - 4:09 pm

Firstly, we do need to ask if Keynes did suggest that. There are arguments either way on this point. Keynes’ view unfolded and developed starting in the bleak 1920’s in Britain. There was no ‘roaring twenties’ for the UK economy as the government deflated the economy to try to fit the Pound back on to its pre-war Gold Standard. Keynes then did argue that governments should run deficits if private spending declined and reduce those deficits when future growth was strong enough. This has been interpreted by many that his intent was that the budget was to be more or less balanced over the business cycle. If anyone is …

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Tagged economics and keynes | 17 Comments

Community Politics – putting people first

By Iain Donaldson | Mon 14th December 2015 - 2:17 pm

Liberal Democrats believe that the state exists to serve and enable individuals to live their lives to the full. Our starting point is the individual. We want to find ways of enabling and encouraging each person to fulfil his or her own potential.

We believe that men and women have an immense, largely unrealised capacity for self-direction, self-cultivation, self-understanding and creativity. People are not sheep to be flocked, cattle to be herded or oxen to be led; it is inhuman to reduce people to the status of objects to be manipulated, directed or discarded.

It is the right of every human to share the liberty and the opportunity to experiment, to experience, to learn and to influence his or her surroundings. This is the ethos that drives the Liberal Democrats. It is not about having one’s own way; it is about having a way that is one’s own.

A liberal community does not dictate how people should live, but liberates people to live as they please so long as that in doing so they do not impinge upon the freedoms and rights of others. It does not provide for the needs of the citizen, but rather enables the citizen to provide for their own needs.

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Tagged community politics | 10 Comments

Donald Tusk hoping to reach Agreement on UK EU Referendum by February 2016

By George Smid | Mon 14th December 2015 - 11:18 am

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David Cameron has not been very lucky lately with his letter writing. One letter to a local councillor in Oxfordshire scored own political goal, charges of hypocrisy and ministerial misconduct. Another letter to the president of European Council, did not even warrant a reply. Donald Tusk wrote ‘in response’ but not back to David Cameron. He addressed his letter to the European Council where he refers to David Cameron in third person.

I cannot help noticing the dynamic between our Prime Minister, setting out his outlines for an ‘In or Out’ referendum, and the European Leaders who will agree beforehand “where we stand on the issue of a UK in/out referendum before we address it at the December European Council”. Is this the illustration of the future, where we in the UK will be reduced to pleading with the European Leaders who will then let us know “where they stand on the issue”? I hope not.

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Tagged david cameron, donald tusk and eu referendum | 17 Comments

Ed Davey writes…Nous sommes Paris

By Ed Davey | Sun 13th December 2015 - 2:05 pm

Wow! How did that happen? The United Nations has just agreed the first ever universal climate deal – and it’s better for the global environment than anyone had dared hope for.

For once, believe hyperbole: this is the most significant international agreement since the establishment of the United Nations in 1945.

Here’s just 5 things from Paris that make this so good:

In the run up to Paris, more than 180 countries made commitments to cut emissions significantly;

They agreed a surprisingly strong 5 year review or “ratchet” mechanism for bolder future commitments to cut emissions further;
They backed a new long term goal to make sure global warming stays “well below” 2 degrees Celsius, heading to greenhouse gas neutrality in the second half of this century – meaning the effective ending of fossil fuels;
Increased support for poorer countries to help them – whether in the low carbon transition or in adapting to climate change impacts already with us;
Huge progress on the “rules” for how we decarbonise the world, including key technical stuff on audit and accounting and crucially, strong transparency rules, so we know what countries are actually doing.
And if you don’t believe me, listen to the majority of NGOs: from Greenpeace to Christian Aid, there’s been a huge welcome. And those businesses and financial institutions who take climate seriously are predicting a massive rise in investment in clean green technology.

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Tagged climate change, cop21, ed davey and paris climate talks | 16 Comments

Climate change deal shows there has never been a better time to support the Lib Dems

By Jim Hodgson | Sun 13th December 2015 - 9:58 am

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The world woke yesterday morning to an early Christmas gift. Not a novelty knitted jumper or bottle of tipple, but something more poignant altogether. Unconventionally, the gift in question was not only immaterial, but universal, unquantifiable, and intergenerational: the prospect of a deal on climate change in Paris.

The final agreement includes a commitment to keeping temperature rises ‘significantly below’ 2C, with the aim of 1.5C as a target. Whilst 2 degrees may sound inconsequential, the difference between today’s average global temperature and that during the last ice age is around 5 degrees. Our climate has never changed so rapidly, it’s unequivocally due to human activity, and avoiding the problem could result in temperature rises of 5-6C by the end of this century. Ask a climate scientist to describe what a 5-degree-world would be like, and you might just wish that you hadn’t.

Whilst a UN agreement provides a mandate for action, the thorny issue of how we get there is likely to make the COP21 negotiations look like a doddle. To this end, we must turn to the pillars of reasoned progress: science and politics. Earlier this year, the Tyndall centre (host to some of the world’s leading climate scientists) published an analysis of future climate projections for the 21st century: exploring 400 different possible ‘routes’ to achieving what has since been agreed in Paris. Of those, 86% rely on unproven technology, such as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). For the remaining scenarios, emissions would have had to have peaked in the past at around 2010. Assuming technology will solve the climate problem is an aspiration, not a grounded projection. Whilst it’s unlikely that non-existent technologies will fit the bill, it’s even less-likely that Dr. Emmett Brown will be using his DeLorian to help us fix the emissions of the past.

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Tagged climate change and cop21 | 19 Comments

Scottish Government is consulting on the future of civil partnerships – respond by Tuesday

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 12th December 2015 - 1:30 pm

What should happen to civil partnerships now that we have equal marriage? (Yes, I know it’s not properly equal in England because of the spousal veto.)

The Scottish Government simply wants to abolish them and is consulting on that proposal

I have responded to the consultation this morning saying that I think that they should be retained and opened up to all couples. For me, that’s the “liberal max” option. Marriage isn’t for everyone, so it shouldn’t be the only way possible for people to formalise their relationships and benefit from legal protections.

I do respect the view of those who …

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Tagged civil partnerships and Scotland | 6 Comments

Ed Davey writes: On the eve of a climate breakthrough …

By Ed Davey | Sat 12th December 2015 - 10:00 am

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Whatever the press report on the Paris UN Climate Change agreement, it’s already clear there are 3 things we should remind people about:

first, it’s great news the whole world has come together to make the first ever global climate change agreement, so elusive over the last 25 years;
second, the impressive commitments to cut greenhouse gases are huge steps forward – and should make the remaining vital steps easier and cheaper;
third, Liberal Democrats played a major role towards this agreement – in leading the UK’s policy for Paris, in shaping the European Union’s and by representing the UK at the previous 5 UN climate summits – the essential building blocks for this weekend’s success in Paris.

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Tagged climate change and featured | 6 Comments

My experience on the Big Fat Debate

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 12th December 2015 - 8:56 am

Yesterday, I travelled across Scotland to a very windy Prestwick to take part in Radio Scotland’s Big Debate, hosted by Gordon Brewer. There was a big audience in the warm and welcoming Monkton and Prestwick Church Hall. My fellow panellists were Conservative MSP John Scott, SNP MSP Chic Brodie (who used to be a Lib Dem), Herald journalist Alison Rowat and former Labour MP for Glasgow South Tom Harris. Tom has a bit of a reputation for courting controversy and being a bit of a bruiser, so let me ruin that slightly by letting you know that he was showing us photos of his very cute dog before we went into the hall. He would say I started it by showing a photo my husband had sent me of my dog, and he’d be right, but still. He’s actually a good bloke, despite having been Misogynist of the Week on my blog a few years back. He’s a fellow Whovian, so can be forgiven almost anything. Well, maybe not all his gratuitous attacks on the Lib Dems…

It was a lively hour and, unusually, we managed to fit in five questions:

Donald Trump

It’s always good to have a go at the obnoxious, racist, misogynist American billionaire, but what if his investments are creating hundreds of jobs locally, as they are in Ayrhsire? Should they be boycotted? My view was that, much as I wouldn’t go anywhere near them, it should be an individual choice, not a matter of public policy. I added that although I hadn’t signed the petition (for the reasons I gave the other day), it was in some ways heartening to half a million people show a bit of solidarity with Muslims. After all, there have been too many reports of hostility towards them recently. In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, a friend of mine was walking down the street and moved aside to let someone pass. She got a whole load of rudeness in return: “I don’t thank your kind” was the horrible response.

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Tagged radio scotland and the big debate | 6 Comments

The painful dilemma at the heart of the US Republican party

By Paul Walter | Fri 11th December 2015 - 3:00 pm

View image | gettyimages.com

To win the Republican nomination you need to be a very right wing. The Republican base who vote in primaries tend to be very right wing. The influence of the Tea Party has exacerbated this situation. So Donald Trump is doing very well in the GOP (“Grand Ol’ Party” = Republican party) polls for the 2016 Presidential nomination. The more he says that Muslims need to be tracked on a database, the border needs to be closed to them and a border wall needs to be built by Mexico, the more the Republican core adore him.

I’ve lost count of the number of times commentators have expected a “Howard Dean moment” to befall Trump. It’s not going to happen. He’s like Boris Johnson. The more he makes embarrassing comments, the more a certain constituency of people love him. He can talk himself out of any corner. – Even if he uses the verbal equivalent of a 12 bore shotgun.

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Tagged donald trump, republican party, usa and usa presidential election 2016 | 11 Comments

Blair’s other legacy

By David Warren | Fri 11th December 2015 - 11:55 am

It is inevitable given that it became the issue that defined his premiership – the failed invasion of Iraq will be seen as Blair’s great legacy.

He got plenty of other things wrong too, but for all his words about a progressive majority, his inaction on electoral reform paved the way for majority right wing government.

Had he been brave enough to face down the conservative forces in his own party we could have seen the 1999 Jenkins commission proposals implemented.

He wasn’t.

In his excellent autobiography, Ming Campbell recalls his wife Elspeth whispering to Blair at John Smith’s funeral, ‘Don’t Forget The Liberals’. ‘I won’t’ was the response.

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Tagged electoral reform and tony blair | 9 Comments

What can we learn from the Danish referendum?

By Siobhan Mathers | Thu 10th December 2015 - 4:12 pm

Lying Eurosceptics and grey drizzle; close polls and an air of dread amongst Liberals fearing a No vote; and political elites pitted against voters who don’t trust them. Sound like a British Euro Referendum campaign? Well no, that was Denmark last week.

Now that we know that there was a narrow victory for the No side, let’s look at why and what it might mean for the forthcoming UK Euro referendum. And what we can learn from it as Liberal Democrats.

I’ll start with the differences. First, the proposition was unclear to many in Denmark. A November 3rd poll indicated that almost two-thirds of the population didn’t really understand what they were voting about. This absence of clarity has allowed the No campaign to reframe the debate as an airing of grievances against the EU in general.

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Tagged denmark, eu and eu referendum | 8 Comments

Are by-elections the best use of activists’ time?

By MIchael Atkins | Thu 10th December 2015 - 11:45 am

Over the course of November I lost count of the exhortations I received to contribute, either financially or through my time, to the Oldham campaign. But is our current approach to by-elections the best for our party, and, if not, what wider lessons can we draw? This article is written to provoke, to challenge, and to inspire debate; equally, it is not written to insult or degrade the hard work or enthusiasm of activists or candidates with which this party is blessed.

Activists are encouraged to get involved in a by-election for a number of reasons: (i) the excellent qualities of the local candidate; (ii) the opportunity to increase our representation at Westminster; (iii) there is value in 2^nd/3^rd/… place; (iv) to learn about effective methods of campaigning; (v) to spread our national message; and (vi) it’s fun/sociable/exciting! But we have to realise that we are a seriously resource constrained political party. Resources are financial and people-time: activists, party staff, and political figures (e.g. MPs). I would argue that these are all more seriously limited than at any time since I joined the party in 2005, with the possible exception of activists. Even here, many will have full time commitments, a family, other volunteering work etc.

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Tagged by-elections and campaigning | 20 Comments

Syrian Conflict: What is the strategy for dealing with the failure of the Vienna talks?

By Jonathan Brown | Thu 10th December 2015 - 8:50 am

I opposed the government’s (and this party’s) support for air strikes against ISIS in Syria not because I think there is a credible alternative to confronting them militarily, nor because I don’t wish to stand with our allies, nor because I doubt that air strikes helped saved large numbers of Kurdish lives in both Iraq and Syria. I opposed them because while they can and ought to be part of a strategy for defeating ISIS, the government’s Syria policy is full of contradictions and I don’t think it can succeed. Largely because it does not put the protection of civilian life in Syria at its heart and so will not mesh with the priorities of the people living and dying in the country.

While a lot of the recent debate has been about UK politics, principles, pacifism, opportunism, leadership and rebellion, comparatively little was actually said about Syria and even less was heard from actual Syrians. Faith in the Vienna peace talks as being the only or at least best chance for a negotiated peace is misplaced. This statement from Syrian community representatives in the UK makes the case eloquently:

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Tagged syria | 26 Comments

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