Category Archives: Op-eds

Caron Lindsay

Is John Hemming right to seek guidance on when children can be left home alone?

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 11th November 2014 - 5:36 pm

I was interested by this report in this week’s Sunday Times (£) concerning John Hemming, a long-standing campaigner against overbearing child protection policies and practices and secretive family courts. I’ve seen enough instances in my time where social workers have made serious errors, causing horrendous distress, to make me glad that he’s on their case.

He’s tabled a Parliamentary Question asking the Government for guidance on the age at which a child can be left at home alone after being approached by a mother who was given a police caution some years ago for leaving her then 6 year old in the house while she went for a driving lesson. That caution has been held against her as she now wishes to train as a mental health nurse.

I have to say that I have absolutely zero sympathy with anyone who thinks that it’s ok to leave a 6 year old in the house rather than cancel a driving lesson. The last time ROSPA had the funding to collect statistics on home accidents, they found that 120 children died in a year as a result of an accident in the home. The whole list makes sobering reading. More recent research looks at the reasons behind child hospital admissions and deaths.  So I think it was right that she received a police caution. Whether that should stop her becoming a nurse now, many years on, is a different matter. One stupid mistake shouldn’t automatically blight a whole career choice.

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Lord Roger Roberts

Lord Roger Roberts writes: Peers must resolve crisis of democracy in Wales

By Lord Roger Roberts | Tue 11th November 2014 - 3:24 pm

This afternoon, with the full support of all the main parties in the Welsh Assembly, the House of Lords will debate cross-party amendments to the Wales Bill, designed to radically improve voter engagement in Wales. The UK Government will instruct Coalition Peers to vote against them. How can we arrive at such a situation?

There is a crisis of democracy in Wales which the UK Government and The Electoral Commission have stubbornly, and repeatedly, refused to acknowledge.

Despite the sterling efforts of some Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), only 51% of our youngest citizens are registered to vote. And, in 2011, only 35% of 18-24 year olds voted in Welsh Assembly elections. If this status quo persists much longer, than less than half of young people in Wales will have an opportunity to voice their opinions at the ballot box on 7 May 2015.

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Caron Lindsay

New report highlights need for action against homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 11th November 2014 - 12:55 pm

If I saw a transgender person, I’d kill them.

That happened. A young transgender person heard that fall casually from the lips of a classmate one day in class. The classmate didn’t know they were talking about someone not three feet away from them, but that’s not the point.

Even though my young acquaintance knew that they weren’t in the wrong, it was still a huge dent to their confidence. A blatant attack on your right to exist is never going to be easy to deal with. All school pupils, staff and parents should know that homophobic, transphobic or biphobic abuse will never be tolerated. That threat of physical harm in that example of hate speech was particularly appalling but those phrases like “You’re so gay” are just the stop of a slippery slope and need to be challenged by education from the earliest age.

It’s been good to see the Government, in a move personally championed by Nick Clegg and Jo Swinson, ensure that £2 million has been allocated specifically to combat this abuse. Jo said:

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John Kelly

Opinion: Jewish and Muslim voting intentions

By John Kelly | Tue 11th November 2014 - 8:55 am

The Independent on Sunday headline on 9 November suggested that Jewish donors were deserting Labour because Miliband and Alexander have been so forthright in their criticism of Israel over the Gaza invasion this summer and their strong support for recognition of the state of Palestine.  A day earlier Jewish News published the results of a poll carried out within the Jewish Community.

The headline was that Jewish voters were 30% less likely to vote Labour because of its leadership’s stance.  What was much more interesting was that 19% say they would vote Labour compared with 15% who actually voted Labour in 2010 – i.e. at a time when the Brown/Blair governments had been pretty slavish in their support of Israel even during previous Gaza conflicts and the invasion of Lebanon.  Could this perhaps show that the most vocal leaders of the Jewish Community are out of step with the masses and that significant numbers in that Community in fact would rather support a Party that is highly critical of the present government of Israel?

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Teena Lashmore

Opinion: Equality – a suggestion

By Teena Lashmore | Mon 10th November 2014 - 11:17 am

Parliament square by Paul Walter

We have seen the application of the women’s Leadership Program.  This became necessary due to historical disadvantages.  If we could have trusted the political system, there would be no need to introduce such measures to achieve better representation for women.

I suggest we can achieve similar Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic representation, by learning from experiences and voting progressively.  Allow me to share…

I had a fantastic time running for Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PCC).  I crammed national policy into five days and along with dedicated enthusiasts, undertook the assessment day.

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Caron Lindsay

Speaking up for the civil liberties of dogs

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 9th November 2014 - 4:45 pm

HazelAfter the Federal Executive meeting this week where we discussed preparations for the election campaign (heartening to see so many people coming forward to be approved as candidates), arrangements to implement the One Member One Vote decision at Conference (and good to see that Mark Pack and Duncan Brack who proposed the amendment passed are to be invited in to work on that), the implementation of the Morrissey Report (amazing progress made, driven forward by our fabulous Pastoral Care Officer), we headed to the pub.

I was talking about my excitement/slight apprehension about picking up our new puppy the next day. The picture on the right shows little Hazel, who is now happily settled and busily involved in training us to meet her needs.

Anyway, Martin Tod reminded us all that he had once spoken up for the civil liberties of dogs in response to an animal welfare debate at Conference in 2003. He and Mark Pack wondered how it would look if the motion applied to humans. He posted the speech on his blog last year and here’s a snippet:

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Caron Lindsay

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

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 9th November 2014 - 1:37 pm

sundaypapsA little later today, but here is what I’ve found interesting from today’s newspapers:

First of all, infighting in the Labour Party surely can’t count as news as it’s its default state in that organisation. It strikes me that Norman Baker’s resignation, while highlighting the massive difference between the two governing parties in the Coalition, was at least couched in dignified and respectful language. The previous government operated in an environment of toxic dysfunctionality. This one has its moments but never comes close to that pure poison. Anyway, the Observer reports on poor Ed Miliband’s latest woes. For me, he’s the most likeable Labour leader since John Smith. While his flaws in leadership are clear, even if he had a significant narrative, half the party would be trying to undermine it. The paper’s advice in its leader is, basically, to feel the fear and go radical anyway. 

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Caron Lindsay

For Remembrance Sunday – my visit to the Tower of London poppies

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 9th November 2014 - 11:30 am

Poppies through BridgeLast Monday I was down in London for a meeting and had an hour spare to nip down to the Tower of London to see the poppy installation where 888,246 ceramic poppies have been laid out in an act of remembrance for all those who died in the First World War.

I found it incredibly moving. The atmosphere was one of humble quiet reflection. You know when you normally go to things, people can be pushing and shoving and trying to get the best view. Actually, here, everyone was respectful, giving each other space, despite the massive crowds.

I think what got me more than anything was seeing that this huge sea of red, made up of individual stems, symbolised one part of one side who lost their lives in the First World War.

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Caron Lindsay

Let’s match up Doctors and (Liberal) Democrat leaders

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 8th November 2014 - 6:13 pm

Screen Shot 2014-11-08 at 16.13.30Tonight is the finale of Peter Capaldi’s first season playing the Doctor. I have been a very poor excuse for a Doctor Who fan this year. I had to cram in four episodes last night to catch up. It’s been difficult to watch them live due to the Referendum, Conference and, ironically, a Doctor Who convention keeping me busy. The added complication is that our house and lounge where our only television is, has been taken over by teenagers every week.

Anyway, I’m now caught up and am livid and awestruck in equal measure. Don’t get me wrong, Capaldi’s Doctor is brilliant – and played fantastically. I hear from people who know that he is so immensely professional on set with every single aspect of his performance fully prepared and worked out. He’s also great at supporting other members of the cast. I also love the fact that we’ve seen different aspects to Clara from grief-stricken derangement to superb leadership. It shows he can write decent female characters (though he managed it with Kate Stewart) so if we could have more of them and fewer of the River Song/Tasha Lem types,I’ll be happy. It’s not that I don’t like River and Tasha, but Moffat’s women come from a very small range.

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Caron Lindsay

“Like you, the Liberal Democrats…” Not the most tactful way to write to your members

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 8th November 2014 - 11:15 am

A well-written email is a very useful tool in informing and activating your supporters. One that’s not so well-written or targeted can be counter-productive. There have been a fair few howlers in the past few years from LDHQ, not least that Annette Brooke email following the elections in May this year and one from Nick Clegg a couple of years before in similar circumstances. I also remember a Simon Hughes one in 2011 the week after the appalling Scottish elections when we were still all punch-drunk and heartbroken that started: “This is a good week to be a Liberal Democrat.”

That opening line is oh, so important. It draws the reader in, grabs their attention, persuades them to read on and to take the action requested within it. If the opening is poor, the red mist descends and people hit the delete key.

And so it was last night with an email from Director of Strategy Ryan Coetzee. This presumably went to members and supporters alike. It was nowhere close to even the field next to the ballpark of being as bad as previous examples, but, unfortunately it started with the words:

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Opinion: A new member’s views on equality

By Lauren Jayne Salerno | Fri 7th November 2014 - 1:04 pm

We have heard Nick and Tim’s comments on advancing women by means of all female shortlists. In many ways this is admirable but it’s arguably discriminatory. Firstly it reflects the outdated, but still common, view of gender in terms of men and women when it fact gender variance is far broader; we should be and are the party of the androgynous, gender queer, intersex and all other genders, however by not including them we exclude them, discrimination by omission.

Secondly we are a broad party and need to ensure that all can truly fulfil their potential regardless of whether they fall within the protected characteristics of the Equality Act or not. Yes there may be, and I would argue are, more obstacles for some groups than other but that does not mean that anyone group should be prioritised thus creating or reinforcing “a hierarchy of diversity”
I have often heard and indeed even today heard that it is easier and more effective to focus on one issue and when we have got that right to move on to others. The problem with this thinking is at least twofold.

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Paul Burstow

Paul Burstow MP writes…Putting mental health at the top of the agenda

By Paul Burstow | Thu 6th November 2014 - 10:13 am

Mental health is so often in the news for the wrong reasons its good to finally have a few things to cheer about. Last month, though little noticed, Nick Clegg announced the start of a genuinely preventative programme in mental health with the launch of a series of front line mental health support pilots for blue light workers. People working in the emergency services experience some of the highest levels of work related stress, so it is absolutely the right place to start. And with poor mental health costing UK businesses £26 billion a year, taking mental health seriously in the workplace needs to be on every employers’ agenda – with government leading the way.

This followed on from ministerial commitment from Norman Lamb to continue funding for Time to Change, the campaign to end mental health stigma, and a rallying call for all FTSE 100 companies to sign up. It is a clear statement that good mental health should matter to all of us, and its heartening to see that companies like Royal Mail, Marks and Spencer and Barclays have already come on board.

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Adam Corlett

Opinion: No taxation without explanation – tax summaries are welcome but flawed

By Adam Corlett | Wed 5th November 2014 - 10:54 am

budget breakdownStarting yesterday, and over the next month or so, ‘tax summaries’ will be delivered to 24 million taxpayers, detailing how much income tax and National Insurance they paid in 2013-14, and where that money went. You can see examples here.

As Nick Clegg said in 2012, this will deliver “greater transparency accountability in government … empowering citizens” with information on what they pay in, and how their taxes are spent. It sounds rather like the ‘Annual Tax Contract’ policy from the party’s manifesto in 1997 and 2001:

No taxation without explanation: Central Government should inform taxpayers of the ways in which their money is raised and spent, just as local councils now do.

You can draw your own conclusions from the pie chart on the right, but it looks like these annual tax summaries will be important.

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Alisdair Calder McGregor

Opinion: Limited Devolution may be ok for Manchester, but Yorkshire deserves better

By Alisdair Calder McGregor | Wed 5th November 2014 - 8:54 am

Yorkshire DalesThe news that George Osborne is offering further powers to Manchester (if – and only if – they turn their backs on the democratic will of the people and implement an elected Mayor in spite of Manchester voting “No” to having one) has been enthusiastically accepted by the Manchester Labour Party, because, as with all local Labour parties, they very much prefer a government that cannot be scrutinized and wields power in secret, unaccountable meetings.

Yorkshire deserves far better than this Tory & Labour stitch-up of an end-run around democracy and accountability.

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Iain Roberts

Opinion: Why I signed up for Devo Manc and a mayor for Greater Manchester

By Iain Roberts | Tue 4th November 2014 - 11:55 am

On Monday morning I was very pleased to be able to sign up to Devo Manc. I was deputising for Stockport’s Lib Dem leader Sue Derbyshire, joined in Manchester Town Hall by the leaders of the other nine Greater Manchester authorities along with George Osborne.

The Greater Manchester devolution deal came out of months of negotiation with the government, and it gives the city region more devolved powers than anywhere else in England, London included. I was surprised at how much we got. To give one example, I was assured just weeks ago that a regulated bus network for Greater Manchester was quite impossible: the DfT would never allow it. Yet there it is, in the deal.

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Joan Walmsley

Joan Walmsley writes … Campaigning in York

By Joan Walmsley | Mon 3rd November 2014 - 2:38 pm

Baroness Walmsley and Cllr Keith Aspden at CastlegateI visited York recently to campaign with our council group there, led by Councillor Keith Aspden, on a couple of important local issues.

One was the Labour decision to close a multi-agency youth advice centre at Castlegate without putting appropriate alternative provision in place. This very successful centre has helped thousands of young people with issues to do with jobs, housing, benefits, drugs, education courses and a whole lot of other matters, many of them linked together. That’s why the multi-agency model is so effective. We were able to highlight how short-sighted the Labour Group were to propose closing it down.

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Scott Stables

Opinion: Will the EU miss us if we leave?

By Scott Stables | Mon 3rd November 2014 - 12:30 pm

clegg merkelIt was central to David Cameron’s EU bargaining position: the assumption that ultimately the EU would do everything it could to avoid our exit. It would yield to every request placed upon it because, after all, the UK is important. It is a bargaining position that has been fatally undermined by Angela Merkel as she suggested that the UK has reached a “point of no-return”, and that if the UK maintains its pressure on allowing curbs on EU migration she would be prepared to see the UK leave. In other words, the principles of the EU are more important than one individual member.

This rationale, although likely to frustrate sentiments of British Exceptionalism displayed by some, is not wholly surprising. Rewriting fundamental aspects of any political settlement does not come easy, perhaps precisely because relenting on one aspect of an institution undermines the ability to stand up to other requests for substantial renegotiation.

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Sarah Noble

Opinion: Why Liberal Democrats must oppose any criminalisation of sex workers

By Sarah Noble | Mon 3rd November 2014 - 10:50 am

Amsterdam red light district by Trey Ratcliff On Tuesday, Parliament will debate the Report Stage of the Modern Slavery Bill, and in particular, an amendments that would criminalise the purchase of sex in England and Wales, similar to the one that was passed in Northern Ireland just a couple of weeks ago. It’s important that, as Liberal Democrats, we oppose those amendments.

When Belinda Brooks-Gordon and I, with the help of too many sex workers to list, put forward a policy motion towards safer sex work at Conference in Glasgow,

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Greg Webb

East Midlands Regional Conference Report: useful training, policy debates, Presidential hustings and inspiring speeches

By Greg Webb | Mon 3rd November 2014 - 8:55 am

I’d thought about going to Liberal Democrat conferences before, but always ended up doing something else on the day. But this time, the East Midlands Regional Conference, which took place on Saturday, was on a date I could do. It seemed worth trying it at least once!

It’s difficult to know quite what to expect when attending an event as a first timer, or whether it’s typical, but the Conference definitely had a significant amount on and a healthy turnout. We opened with training sessions on canvassing, fundraising and being a returning officer, with good content from experienced speakers and useful discussion among the group.

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Caron Lindsay

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

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 2nd November 2014 - 1:25 pm

sundaypapsHere’s a few stories that have grabbed my eye from today’s press. What do you think and what stories have interested you? Let us know in the comments.

First  of all, we’re just 48 hours away from the US Midterms, a set of elections in which the Republicans are expected to do well. In reality, it’s a set of elections a bit like the Euros were for us, that are not the Democrats’ strongest sets, even on a good day. The Observer follows Obama for 24 hours on the campaign trail and majors on his weaknesses. There’s an argument he’s done pretty well given the wrecking mischief-making of the Republicans during his entire term. There is evidence of the Obama we know:

Yet hints of the old Obama remain. During his gubernatorial rally in Maine, Mike Michaud – a former mill-worker who would become America’s first openly gay elected governor, if successful on Tuesday – the president’s speechwriters drift toward the catchphrases of his own election campaign: hope, change, progress.

“Hope is a better choice,” Obama tells the audience. “Hope is what gives those soldiers in world war two the courage to storm a beach. Hope is what allows young people to march on behalf of women’s rights, and workers’ rights, and civil rights, and voting rights, and gay rights, and immigration rights.”

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The Voice

REMINDER: Helena Morrissey’s call for feedback: reply by 7th November

By The Voice | Sat 1st November 2014 - 3:05 pm

Just a gentle reminder about Helena Morrissey’s call for feedback on progress since her report was published in June last year. She wants your comments by this coming Friday, 7th November. Here’s what she wrote on 13th October:

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Caron Lindsay

What would you do in this life-threatening situation?

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 1st November 2014 - 1:35 pm

I meant to write something about this months ago, but it got buried in the “Blog Posts that Time Forgot” pile.

The Scottish Police Federation’s stand was by far the best at Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference in Aberdeen in March. It looked impressive and very high tech. They gave you headphones and played a series of videos. If you watched them at the same time as others, you all jumped at the same moment. They showed a series of dangerous situations that Police can encounter in the course of their duties. You have to think of what they would do in that situation. The SPF staff said that you could have a whole roomful of experienced police officers and they would offer up different solutions to each terrifying and potentially life=threatening dilemma.

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Joe Otten

Labour hang on in South Yorkshire – my guilty part

By Joe Otten | Fri 31st October 2014 - 4:19 pm

Labour have retained the post of Police and Crime Commissioner, following the resignation of Shaun Wright, with 50.02% of first preferences ahead of UKIP on 31.66% with a turnout of 14%. The Liberal Democrats did not stand a candidate.

The campaign was dominated by the issue of the child sexual exploitation scandal in Rotherham, with UKIP accused of crassly exploiting the issue for their own political ends, and Labour accused of being responsible for the authorities that failed those children. Both accusations have merit, though in my book failing to protect 1600 children is worse than crass politicking. I’m not suggesting that Labour’s policy was to fail these children, but any virtual one-party state is likely to fail its people and needs to be voted out.

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Chris White

Opinion: We can’t afford not to pay for social care

By Chris White | Fri 31st October 2014 - 12:26 pm

I had a visitor the other day – a resident who was her husband’s carer. Neither was elderly and she was coping remarkably well. I am honestly not sure I could perform her role. I suspect many of us couldn’t.

She had no complaint to make but instead wanted me to understand – for the purposes of local and national policy – what caring looked like in terms of costs. The simple point is that the care she provides comes cheap. She does most of the work so the local authority delivers only respite care at some thousands a year. But were she older, frailer or even simply smaller in stature this would not be possible. And then the cost of care would escalate as it fell to the state to provide it. Ultimately it would reach a six figure sum. Per annum.

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Arthur Snell

Opinion: Afghanistan – Fools rush in…

By Arthur Snell | Fri 31st October 2014 - 11:00 am

US soldier in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of US Department of DefenseFor the generation of UK military and civilians that served in Afghanistan over the past 13 years, watching the extensive coverage of the final withdrawal from Helmand province comes with mixed feelings.

As the Foreign Office’s “man in” Helmand during 2010, even then it was obvious to me that the UK media had already made up its mind: the conclusion was we had failed. So, when I read the reports earlier this week that “a third” of Helmand’s schools were still …

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Andrew Stunell MP

Andrew Stunell MP writes…Tackling anti-semitism at home and abroad

By Andrew Stunell MP | Thu 30th October 2014 - 6:52 pm

We may have had a peaceful summer at home but overseas the situation was anything but relaxed, not least in Gaza where the tension between Israel and Palestine spilled over into violence and bloodshed. Whatever your interpretation of events there, nothing can excuse the fact that the resultant anger and hurt felt by many was channelled by a few into violence against British Jews, leading to a 400% increase in recorded antisemitic incidents in the last quarter. That was a pattern repeated across Europe, which is why as a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism I joined a delegation of MPs to Berlin and Paris in order to learn the lessons of the summer. Our findings will help to inform a new parliamentary report into antisemitism now being drawn up.

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Toby Matthews

Opinion: The Economic Crisis is Now Political

By Toby Matthews | Thu 30th October 2014 - 1:45 pm

Clacton-on-Sea is going nowhere… This is Britain on crutches. This is tracksuit-and-trainers Britain, tattoo-parlour Britain, all-our-yesterdays Britain- Matthew Parris, The Times

Matthew Parris’s dismissal of poor, coastal Essex adorned thousands of UKIP leaflets in Clacton. It served only to justify UKIP’s rout of the Tory party.

Inadvertently, Parris came close to the truth: Britain as a political entity almost ceased to exist in September. Despite the eventual result in Scotland, the strength of the yes vote saw victory in Glasgow, quadrupled the membership of the SNP and caused Scottish Labour to implode. The high turnout alone belied the modern complaint of political apathy.

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Caron Lindsay

On making LDV more inclusive

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 29th October 2014 - 9:38 pm

Today has not been a good day. It’s not a good feeling when you discover that someone has left the party over something you did, as Lester Holloway has done. I hope that he reconsiders his decision.

The story begins on Saturday when I published this story about Lib Dem Campaigns supremo Victoria Marsom’s visit to Botswana at the culmination of a year long  project to help our sister party in the elections there.

Lester said in the comments that he was unhappy with our interference in this African election. In the ensuing debate, onc eommenter, who as far as we know is not a member or even a supporter of the party, made a racist comment at around 11pm on Monday. I woke up to an email complaining about it at 8am on Tueadsy. I immediately removed the comment and had a fairly lengthy email conversation with a number of people who were copied into the email. I would have been quite happy to bin the comment completely, but I gave an additional option that it should be reinstated but with a very clear statement that comments of that nature are completely unacceptable. It was agreed that this is what we should do and two of the people who were copied into that email thanked me and seemed happy with the outcome.

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Stephen Lloyd

Stephen Lloyd MP writes…Ed’s climate change deal shows how UK can reform EU


By Stephen Lloyd | Wed 29th October 2014 - 2:00 pm

Yesterday the Prime Minister’s statement to Parliament reminded us thatthere are two EU stories around at the moment. Sadly one is getting far more attention than the other! One is about the Prime Minister “standing up to Europe” and refusing to pay a £1.7bn demand. The other which is ultimately of much greater significance, concerns the EU agreeing an ambitious climate change deal, under British leadership, as described by Catherine Bearder and Ed Davey recently on LDV.

Liberal Democrats can rightly be proud that as the greenest of the main British political parties and as “the party of in” we have shown …

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Kate Parminter

Baroness Kate Parminter writes…Campaigning on green issues in the south west

By Kate Parminter | Wed 29th October 2014 - 12:30 pm

With the Green Party announcing they are targeting 12 seats including a number of our key seats, and the Labour party acknowledging the threat they pose by appointing Sadiq Khan to lead the fightback, Green votes could make the difference between winning and losing – as we sadly saw with Graham Watson MEP.  So as our Environment Spokesperson in the House of Lords I’ve been keen to get out and help our candidates promote what we have achieved in Government and champion our 5 Green Bills which we’d introduce in a future Parliament.  Over the summer I spent two days visiting the Great Heath Project in Mid Dorset & North Poole with the Wildlife Trust and our parliamentary candidate, Vikki Slade.

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