Category Archives: Op-eds

“Bedroom Tax” – should social landlords be doing more to encourage swaps?

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 20th February 2013 - 9:36 am

The “bedroom tax” which is not actually a tax, but a cut in Housing Benefit if a tenant in social housing has more bedrooms than they are deemed to need, has caused much anxiety and disquiet in recent weeks. Its introduction in April means that tenants in social housing will need to find around £60 a month on already hard-pressed budgets. If they are unable to pay the extra, then they face eviction. Even ifsocial landlords decide not to evict and merely to pursue rent arrears, the stress of that debt and its impact on a family’s ability to keep …

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Tagged bedroom tax, housing and willie rennie | 69 Comments

Opinion: Iraq War, one year on

By Tony Dawson | Tue 19th February 2013 - 12:28 pm

Just over ten years ago, I was one dot in a crowd of one million people in London calling for the Labour government of Tony Blair to stop the Iraq war. We all knew that Saddam Hussein was a murderous dictator who was much-hated in his own country but we knew equally well that the case for invasion of Iraq (it was never a ‘war’) was a gigantic deceit, cooked up by the Blair and Bush governments for their own purposes. We knew that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction. We knew that far from being a friend of Al Qaeda and the Islamicists, Saddam was their sworn enemy and near the top of their death list. But these were ‘inconvenient truths’.

As I walked alongside Charles and Sarah Kennedy, Donnachadh McCarthy and Simon Hughes at the front of the Liberal Democrat contingent in the march, I thought to myself: “Wow! This is the biggest gathering of humanity in the UK since the Isle of Wight Pop Festival in 1969:and we haven’t even got Jimmy Hendrix or Joni Mitchell as a ‘draw’ . How can they ignore something as huge as THIS?”

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Tagged iraq war | 36 Comments

Opinion: Why do the government tax people on the value of their home?

By William Townsend | Mon 18th February 2013 - 2:23 pm

I am not a politician or economist, nor am I some great thinker of our age. I am just a normal man, single, living in rented accommodation, in a well-paid job, for my part of the world. Yet I still have to rent out my second bedroom to afford normal things like the internet, satellite TV and the occasional visit to a good restaurant. I have to pay out £830 a month just for my Council Tax, rent, petrol and energy before I even eat, let alone pay for the internet or satellite TV!

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Tagged council tax | 40 Comments

Opinion: Radioactive waste consultation – a loss of public trust

By Rebecca Hanson | Mon 18th February 2013 - 12:53 pm

On Wednesday 30th January Cumbria County Council voted not to proceed with a consultation to explore Cumbria being the host of a high level radioactive waste repository. This left Ed Davey with a problem.

The problem is very substantial and urgent as there are facilities at Sellafield full of decaying and highly toxic waste including B30 and B38, which are considered to be the most hazardous buildings in Western Europe. These structures are in a deteriorating condition

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50 Comments

Libby Local, Episode 11: “Door knocking”

By Libby Local | Sun 17th February 2013 - 4:15 pm

“It’s lovely to see a face on the door step.”

The genial middle-aged woman had invited me out of the bitter cold into her hall after I had explained that I was standing for in the May elections.

“And it’s lovely to see someone under fifty in politics,” she added.

It took me a little time to extract myself from her house, but I walked away with a promise of her vote and completed survey form. I felt distinctly cheerful, which was quite a turnaround as the day had not started well.

After a hectic morning trying to catch up …

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Tagged featured and libby | 3 Comments

Opinion: Oh no! Ed’s got us!

By Mark Thompson | Sun 17th February 2013 - 8:45 am

Well he has hasn’t he? I mean this ruse to force a vote on the a mansion tax is piece of political genius surely? The Lib Dems will look like fools traipsing through the lobby with the government whilst Labour dangles something that the party in general and Vince in particular has wanted to bring in for years.

Won’t they?

There’s no denying it’s an eye-catching move clearly designed to embarrass the Lib Dems. But of course the party’s MPs will (largely – a few backbenchers may peel off of course) vote with the government on any opposition motion of this nature. …

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Tagged ed miliband, mansion tax and political shenanigans | 58 Comments

Opinion: David Jones is wrong on same sex parenting

By Linda Jack | Sat 16th February 2013 - 2:54 pm

It’s been a long time since something riled me so much I headed straight for the keyboard but the news of the comments made by Welsh Secretary David Jones regarding same sex couples bringing up children did it. For anyone who missed it, t he said :

I regard marriage as an institution that has developed over many centuries, essentially for the provision of a warm and safe environment for the upbringing of children, which is clearly something that two same-sex partners can’t do.

He has now claimed that he was quoted out of context given that elsewhere he lauded civil partnerships …

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Tagged adoption, david jones, fostering and same sex parents | 162 Comments

Saturday Forum: Genetic Engineering

By Joe Otten | Sat 16th February 2013 - 1:04 pm

The debate on Genetically Modified Organisms has been raging, largely unchanged, for some years – Frankenstein Foods are coming to your plate if they are not already there. Aficionados of science fiction may point out that Moreauesque foods may be a better term, since Dr Moreau did genetic engineering, whereas Dr Frankenstein merely assembled a living organism from body parts, all of the same species. But I digress.

Greenpeace lead the charge saying

While scientific progress on molecular biology has a great potential to increase our understanding of nature and provide new medical tools, it should

…

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13 Comments

Stephen Williams MP writes… Making tax taxing again – 2013 is the Year of Tax Justice

By Stephen Williams | Fri 15th February 2013 - 2:50 pm

“I do believe that as leaders, we all have a common interest in being able to tell our taxpayers who work hard and pay their fair share of taxes, that we will make sure others do the same…But to achieve this will require strong political leadership…I hope we can be ambitious.”
(David Cameron, Prime Minister’s Letter to G8 Leaders, 2 January 2013)

This year the UK holds the Presidency of the G8, with the world’s top leaders coming to Lough Erne in Northern Ireland in June. This is a momentous and perfectly timed opportunity to turn public anger, evident around the …

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Tagged action aid, david cameron, fairer tax, G8 and starbucks | 1 Comment

Lord Avebury writes… Gay asylum-seekers: we’ve come a long way, but much still left to achieve for LGBTI people around the world

By Eric Avebury | Fri 15th February 2013 - 1:28 pm

It is estimated that worldwide more than 175 million people, some three times the population of the UK, are at risk of persecution because of their sexual orientation. Seventy-six countries criminalise consensual same sex relations, among them 54 countries of the Commonwealth.

Hatred against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people is deeply entrenched in the culture of these countries, and their elected governments reflect the prejudice of the masses. They know that persecuting LGBTI people is contrary to international law, and leads to friction with donor nations.

In the case of Gambia, when EU representatives were due to …

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Tagged asylum, equalities, gay rights, LGBT rights, uganda and uk border agency | 27 Comments

Opinion: Let’s stop pussyfooting over property prices

By Neville Farmer | Thu 14th February 2013 - 12:35 pm

According to a report published by Shelter this week, if the price of an oven ready chicken had risen as fast as the price of the average house since 1971, it would cost £51.18. House prices simply have to fall if we’re to find any way out of our economic mess and many of those with mortgages are going to have to take a hit. What we need to do is to ensure that the pain is borne by those who can best afford it… and who caused the problem in the first place.

We need to get over our obsession …

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Tagged don foster and property prices | 50 Comments

Caron’s pick of the Federal Spring Conference agenda

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 13th February 2013 - 2:59 pm

It’s just over three weeks until Liberal Democrats gather in Brighton for our annual Federal Spring Conference. This morning the agenda landed on my doorstep and I thought I’d share my highlights with you.

If you can, it’s worth trying to get there for 3 pm on Friday 8th March for the consultation sessions. This is an important part of the policy making process, where ordinary party members can have their say as policy documents are being written. Most of them are on issues which apply to the …

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Tagged Jo Swinson, nick clegg, paddy ashdown, shirley williams and spring conference 2013 | 3 Comments

George Lyon MEP writes: Lib Dem MEPs will resist secret EU vote

By George Lyon MEP | Wed 13th February 2013 - 11:56 am

Last week the European Council agreed a new European budget that will, for the first time, see a cut in the amount of money that the EU spends.

Liberal Democrats at Westminster and in the European Parliament have made clear that the EU needs to live within its means. We are in favour of a sensible and realistic deal that reflects the tough economic times that ordinary people are facing. Some MEPs see things differently and oppose the idea of a degree of fiscal restraint in Europe.

People who oppose the cuts in the EU budget that have been put forward are …

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Also posted in Europe / International | Tagged eu budget, european parliament and secret votes | 13 Comments

Opinion: Our NHS – the good, the bad and the ugly

By Matthew Green | Wed 13th February 2013 - 10:37 am

It is a week since Robert Francis’s report on the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust exposed massive failures in the NHS, from top to bottom.

The silence from the political left is deafening. Of course there has been the usual horror and condemnation, and calls for heads to roll. But this wasn’t just a case of lax professional standards, which can be sorted out with a bit of culture training, it was complete system failure from cleaner up to Prime Minister.

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Tagged hospitals, mid-staffs and NHS | 23 Comments

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 13th February 2013 - 8:55 am

Every week, Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore MP, writes a column for newspapers in his Borders Constituency. Here is the latest edition.

Fisheries vote

Last week was crunch time in the European Parliament as MEPs voted in favour of ambitious proposals to reform the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). There has been much concern among local fishermen in Berwickshire about the reform of the CFP because the current system has damaged many local businesses. The measures passed last week are certainly a welcome step in the right direction because they will help end the terrible practice of discards and …

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Also posted in Parliament and Scotland | Tagged Michael Moore and Westminster Notes | Leave a comment

Opinion: Liberal Reform urge MEPs to oppose a secret vote on the EU Budget

By Simon McGrath | Tue 12th February 2013 - 3:50 pm

It probably came as a surprise to most Lib Dems to hear that it is possible to have a secret vote in the European Parliament at all, let alone when as few as 20% of MEPs call for one. Press reports that some members want a secret vote so they can safely vote against the EU Budget are shocking, because knowing how elected representatives vote is surely the most basic piece of information required to hold them accountable.

If the EU Budget is rejected, after a secret vote, there is not the slightest doubt that it will be seized upon by those in the UK who want us to leave to leave the EU. Not only should our own MEPs, but also ALDE as a whole, should be opposed to a secret vote in this case, and they should act to change the Parliament’s rules to make secret votes impossible.

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Tagged budget and european parliament | 12 Comments

Don Foster MP writes… Report back on planning changes

By Don Foster MP | Tue 12th February 2013 - 2:23 pm

I thought it was about time that I report back on the work I’ve been doing on planning since we debated it at Conference in September last year.

I’m pleased to be able to say that we’ve made some real progress. Particularly on the Section 106 ‘holiday’ announcement made in the September 6 growth and housing announcement, I’ve been able to deliver everything my local government colleagues asked:

Firstly, where a developer wants to renegotiate the affordable housing element of a Section 106 agreement to unblock a development, we wanted to make sure that there’s an objective test in place to check whether it’s necessary.

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Tagged housing and planning | 22 Comments

Nick Clegg writes … A fairer and more prosperous world

By Nick Clegg MP | Tue 12th February 2013 - 1:00 pm

Lynne Featherstone and I are travelling to Mozambique and Ethiopia this week, which will be my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as Deputy Prime Minister. We will see the changing nature of our relationship with these African countries, as well as the UK’s international development programmes in action.

By working with Mozambique, Ethiopia and other developing countries, we are helping to create a world that is fairer, more prosperous and more secure.

This year the Coalition Government will meet our commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income on international development – an achievement that comes with much controversy but one I am proud to deliver.

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Tagged ethiopia, featured, G8, lynne featherstone and Mozambique | 2 Comments

Three things we’ve learned from today’s opinion polls

By Stephen Tall | Mon 11th February 2013 - 7:50 pm

Three interesting and important poll findings to report today…

Big lead for Labour according to ICM

First, the Guardian’s monthly ICM poll is out, showing the biggest Labour lead in almost a decade:

The movements are more or less within the margin of error. Still, the Tories will be pretty disappointed to see the party get no bounce at all from David Cameron’s promise of a post-2015 EU referendum. Perhaps unsurprisingly it …

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Also posted in Parliamentary by-elections and Polls | Tagged eastleigh by-election, icm, peter kellner, the guardian and yougov | 131 Comments

The real political battle isn’t Conservative vs Labour or Cameron vs Miliband

By Mark Pack | Mon 11th February 2013 - 11:53 am

Skim the political news – or brace yourself and watch some of festival of braying adults that is PMQs – and you could easily think that British politics is primarily a contest between Cameron and Miliband, Conservative and Labour, to be top dog. You could – and you would be wrong. It’s a diversion from where the real action is.

The real political contest is both elsewhere and not one single contest. It is not about Conservative versus Labour, except by incidental outcome.

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Tagged featured | 13 Comments

Libby Local, Episode 10: “Stalled!”

By Libby Local | Sun 10th February 2013 - 2:15 pm

The day after a crazed man confronted me in Demsbury, Mark, the local community support officer came to see me. I had met him at a number of police and community meetings and we get on well.

Mark told me quite a bit about the man who confronted me. Whenever trouble erupted in Demsbury, it was like as not that this man was at the heart of it. Yet, because he mostly engaged in petty crimes and antisocial behaviour, they could do little to control him.

It was all rather depressing. Mark was very thorough, giving me advice on …

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Tagged featured | 5 Comments

New edition of the Liberator magazine

By The Liberator Collective | Sun 10th February 2013 - 11:22 am

The latest edition of Liberator magazine (issue no.357 – February 2013) was delivered to subscribers last week.

Here’s a summary of the new magazine’s contents:

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Tagged liberator magazine | 4 Comments

Opinion: Aspiration exasperation

By Karen Wilkinson | Sat 9th February 2013 - 9:22 pm

I love Friday nights. They keep me grounded and motivated simultaneously, they’re the week’s reset button. The fact they usually involve the pub and a reasonable amount of alcohol is completely coincidental.

I’ve been um-ming and ah-ing for ages over an article for LibDem Voice along the lines of “Aspiration Exasperation”. Politicians talk about aspiration easily enough but it bothers me. Aspiration for what? What I take from it – and I would be delighted to hear I’m wrong on this – is that they mean aspiration …

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Tagged aspiration | 9 Comments

Opinion: Talking at cross purposes about equal marriage

By Joe Otten | Sat 9th February 2013 - 4:33 pm

While it is tempting to be triumphal at success of the vote on equal marriage, I have some sympathy for some of the opponents. Not for the bigots of course – but while all bigots will oppose equal marriage, the converse isn’t true, and some opponents are genuinely unhappy at the idea of parliamentary vote to, as they see it, change the meaning of a word.

Now that may seem to many of us an odd thing to get upset about – although I would be quite unhappy if Parliament attempted to change the value of …

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Tagged chocolate, equal marriage and evolution | 145 Comments

Opinion: Whatever this government is, it is not neo-liberal

By David Thorpe | Sat 9th February 2013 - 7:04 am

In my wild youth, which was as long as it was fecund, I enjoyed a brief and mutually unsatisfactory fling with Marxism. One of the most fearsome methods used by Marxists to direct debate is to retreat into the world of “ism”’s, where, rather than engage in discussion of the relevant point, opponents are branded with the prevailing pejorative ‘ism’ of the day.

While its probably too late for Marxists to change, it’s rather disturbing when more mainstream political figures fall into the same habits. A recent example of this came when Labour MP Peter Hain, speaking on The …

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43 Comments

Julian Huppert MP writes… Have your say – Coalition plans to regulate CCTV

By Julian Huppert | Fri 8th February 2013 - 3:54 pm

The Home Office yesterday announced plans for the regulation of CCTV as part of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

This is fantastic news. The regulation of CCTV and the protection of civil liberties were key to our manifesto and prominent in the coalition agreement.

Britain is home to as many as 4.2 million CCTV cameras – up to 20% of cameras globally – yet under Labour there was virtually no control over who has access to state surveillance. Our reforms mean we can control who has access to cameras, and how the footage is used.

Regulation will be crucial …

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Tagged cctv and protection of freedoms bill | 7 Comments

Opinion: Getting back to sanity – EBC plans now dropped

By Helen Flynn | Fri 8th February 2013 - 12:51 pm

The news about the abandonment of the EBC is to be welcomed by all interested in a progressive and inclusive education system. Is this beginning of the end of the regular Gove-ian, back of the envelope initiatives, which seem to have little to do with evidence-based, rigorous research and planning, and more to do with a kind of “Tom Brown’s Schooldays”, personal take on what makes for a good education? Somehow I doubt that. But at least it’s a start.

The education world has been suffering from major shock and awe style reforms and promises (threats?) of reform, such as EBCs …

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Tagged department for education and education policy | 9 Comments

Opinion: Does the debate over equal marriage reveal our blind spots?

By James King | Fri 8th February 2013 - 10:20 am

Let me begin by saying that I enthusiastically support equal marriage. The ability of two people who love each other to marry regardless of their gender is a blessing, Tuesday’s vote was a victory for liberalism, and despite its flaws the Bill is a big step forward to a fairer society. I found the explanations made by those Lib Dem MPs who opposed the bill to be intellectually unconvincing, sometimes evasive, and fundamentally illiberal.

And yet, I was slightly perturbed by the number of people – and a party organisation – discussing whether to refuse to campaign for the ‘rebels’. …

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Tagged equal marriage and equalities | 58 Comments

David Laws MP writes… Ambitious for every child

By David Laws | Thu 7th February 2013 - 5:23 pm

Liberal Democrats are determined to ensure that all our pupils can access qualifications that measure up to the best in the world today.

But existing GCSEs have weakened over time. Colleges and employers tell us they don’t prepare young people properly for work or further education. While GCSE results have increased steadily, England’s results in the internationally recognised PISA tests have remained flat. This cannot be fair for young people who are working hard to achieve their best.

GCSEs need to change: the question is how.

The original plan to bring back the O-Level was unacceptable. A two-tier system that divides pupils into …

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Tagged gcses and michael gove | 6 Comments

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