Category Archives: Op-eds

Opinion: Four point plan for a liberal, democratic Europe

By James King | Sat 27th October 2012 - 2:35 pm

Europe is rising up the political agenda. It’s an issue that could bring down David Cameron or break-up the coalition. Yet the Liberal Democrats are strangely silent. The EU didn’t appear on the Brighton conference agenda and we no longer have a Minister in the Foreign Office. We need to develop a vision for a liberal, democratic EU and get smart about fighting for it.

Here’s my four point plan:

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Also posted in Europe / International | Tagged david cameron, european union, Ming Campbell, nick clegg, paddy ashdown and sharon bowles | 47 Comments

Jimmy Savile: can we have the police crisis now, please?

By Mark Pack | Sat 27th October 2012 - 11:25 am

The BBC is rightly in crisis over its handling of the Jimmy Savile case. But the mix of some journalists loving taking pot-shots at the BBC and the BBC’s own love of reporting itself (did you see the Newsnight piece on the Panorama episode about the Newsnight story?) means the BBC’s troubles has been over-shadowing the role of others.

The police, in particular.

One police force we now know investigate Jimmy Savile and their work at least got as far as serious consideration of whether or not there was enough evidence …

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Tagged featured | 13 Comments

Opinion: Give us an energy policy

By Geoff Crocker | Fri 26th October 2012 - 4:21 pm

Our party’s energy policy is totally inadequate, consisting only of motherhood and apple pie statements in favour of efficiency and green policies. We went into the last election on the populist platform of no new nuclear power generation and no new coal power without carbon sequestration. Like the student fee policy, this has also proved predictably unsustainable. It was seriously irresponsible. Hence the familiar u-turn

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Tagged energy and energy policy | 13 Comments

Julian Huppert MP writes… Liberal solutions for policing and justice

By Julian Huppert | Fri 26th October 2012 - 2:10 pm

Another Lib Dem Conference, another set of exceptional debates on policing and justice. We agreed on greater accountability through an empowered IPCC; minimum standards for private contractors; and community sentences and restorative justice in place of ineffective, short-term prison sentences.

Our party has the most distinct strategy for crime reduction of any major party. It’s based on clear, liberal principles and, crucially, it’s based on the evidence staring us right in the face. At every Conference I’ve been to we raise the level of debate, and provide liberal solutions for policing and justice.

Rarely do these debates, and these policies, make it …

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Tagged police and crime commissioners | 2 Comments

Baroness Parminter writes… Food labelling: a cautious welcome but much more to do

By Kathryn Parminter | Fri 26th October 2012 - 11:50 am

For many years, the Liberal Democrats have been calling for more consistent food labelling, most recently with our Autumn conference motion, ‘Good Food Shouldn’t Cost the Earth’.

That’s why I welcome the announcement that a new consistent system of ‘front of pack’ labelling will be up and running by summer 2013. It is a cautious welcome because the new system will be voluntary and the biggest challenge – getting all the food industry fully on board – still lies ahead. But, it is encouraging to

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Tagged food labelling and health | 8 Comments

Trans-fats, your health and politics

By Kay Barnard | Fri 26th October 2012 - 8:50 am

Do you eat cakes, chocolate bars, ready meals or chips from a take-away? Who doesn’t eat some occasionally? All those foods I mentioned and many others may contain high levels of compounds called trans-fats or trans-fatty acids.

The reason that trans-fats are important is because they cause much higher levels of heart disease – and yet we rarely hear about them. Trans-fats are an unnatural product of food processing. Vegetable oils are sometimes chemically treated by “hydrogenation” to give them a thicker consistency or they are purified at a high temperature. Food manufacturers do this to increase storage life …

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Tagged public health and trans-fats | 21 Comments

Opinion: Hard-headed realism should guide our dealings with the Conservatives

By Andrew Tennant | Thu 25th October 2012 - 5:03 pm

I’m an unreserved coalition enthusiast.

The coalition means Lib Dems in government; something which, in turn, means the implementation of many Lib Dem policies, the likes of which I have campaigned and voted for over the years, believing said policies to be long overdue and beneficial for the country.

But, despite what our critics say, that doesn’t make me a Tory; and I have very little interest in seeing the Conservatives have an easy ride, in helping them implement their policies, or in keeping their members happy.

The embrace them closely strategy of the first coalition year now looks naive, and most Lib …

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Tagged coalition | 107 Comments

Opinion: What kind of PCC do you want, and why does it matter?

By Linda Jack | Thu 25th October 2012 - 2:54 pm

This week the candidate list for Police and Crime Commissioners was published. Given the party’s ambivalence towards the idea we have ended up fielding candidates in only just over half the Police Authorities in England and Wales. The decision to allow local parties to make the decision about whether to field a candidate or support an independent took no account of the fact that in many areas independent candidates have been forced out because of the cost, or the fact that in other areas finding a liberally minded independent may be tough. Sadly only 18% of the declared candidates are

…

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Tagged elected police commissioners and police commissioner elections | 5 Comments

Opinion: Secret Courts – one month on

By Jo Shaw | Thu 25th October 2012 - 12:26 pm

One month ago today Liberal Democrat members voted overwhelmingly against the government’s plans for secret courts contained in Part II of the Justice and Security Bill. The motion was passed unamended despite the efforts of party leaders who attempted to dilute the motion into an apology for unfair trials.

Reporting of the Bill has continued, none of it reassuring. During the debate I said I could not understand why our government would suggest this illiberal measure, unless it was due to pressure from the US government. Disturbingly it seems I was right as it was what David Anderson QC, the government’s …

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Tagged justice and security bill | 9 Comments

Julian Huppert MP writes… Protecting basic rights for every single child

By Julian Huppert | Thu 25th October 2012 - 9:20 am

Tuesday saw the publication of HMIP’s first report into the Cedars ‘pre-departure accommodation’.

For those of you who aren’t versed in UKBA jargon (few are), ‘pre-departure accommodation’ was established in December 2010 as part of our strategy to end Labour’s abhorrent policy of routinely detaining children for immigration purposes.

Under Labour, from 2005-2010, 7000 children who had committed no crime were detained.

Children were imprisoned in appalling conditions, including the now infamous Yarl’s Wood centre.

Detention was often for weeks and months. In one case, for 190 days. The policy was one of locking children up indefinitely – an atrocious course of …

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Tagged cedars accommodation centre, child detention and yarl's wood | 6 Comments

Opinion: Badger cull delay is good news for Liberal Democrats

By Andrew Wigley | Wed 24th October 2012 - 6:55 pm

Owen Paterson’s announcement on the delay of the badger cull is good news for badgers and for the Liberal Democrats.

The ill-conceived policy may have had the backing of significant interest groups such as the NFU – Paterson repeatedly acknowledged their efforts in his speech – but it was always going to be difficult to present and ‘sell’ this policy to a nation with a strong affection to its environment and wildlife, especially after the debacle of the proposal to sell off the country’s forests.Combine public opinion with the …

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Tagged badger cull, david heath, defra, nfu and owen paterson | 18 Comments

Rennie: SNP’s assertions blown apart by fact

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 24th October 2012 - 4:02 pm

Scotland has had its share of political drama these past ten days. First there was the Edinburgh Agreement which saw Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore given an honourable mention by CentreForum. Then the Scottish Liberal Democrats unveiled their vision for Home Rule and a federal UK. Then last Friday, the SNP abandoned their opposition to NATO membership ahead of the Independence Referendum, a decision led to the resignation of two of their MSPs. This leaves Alex Salmond’s Government with a tiny single vote majority in Holyrood. In practice, though, the two MSPs will mostly vote with the Government.

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Tagged alan cochrane, alex salmond, information commissioner, nicola sturgeon, telegraph and willie rennie | 11 Comments

Opinion: Liberal Youth Scotland campaigns for honest lets

By Callum Leslie | Wed 24th October 2012 - 1:29 pm

Brace yourself — you’re about the hear the SNP getting some praise.

Are you sitting down? Good.

Over the summer, the SNP announced something that student groups like the NUS and groups such as Shelter and the CAB had been calling for a long time. They announced that they would issue a clarification on the illegality of any fees that tenants were being

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Tagged landlord rights and liberal youth scotland | 2 Comments

David Cameron’s ‘a little and often’ leadership doesn’t suit him and isn’t Prime Ministerial

By Stephen Tall | Wed 24th October 2012 - 12:25 pm

The Telegraph’s James Kirkup, one of that paper’s few fair-minded political commentators, has written a thought-provoking article, A devil’s advocate defence of David Cameron and No 10. His case for the defence is first, that we (public, media) shouldn’t assume the role of Prime Minister has always to follow the command/control style of Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair:

Implicit – and sometimes explicit – in the various critiques of the Cameron style and No 10 outfit is the idea that a Prime

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Tagged david cameron, featured, james kirkup, margaret thatcher, nick clegg and tony blair | 1 Comment

Fiona Hall MEP writes: Energy Bill must have clear decarbonisation targets

By Fiona Hall MEP | Wed 24th October 2012 - 11:28 am

The long-awaited Energy Bill will be published at the beginning of November and will give Ed Davey a unique opportunity to prove that Lib Dems are the greenest of the main political parties. But in the innermost circles of the Coalition Government a battle royal is currently being played out over crucial details of the text.

This bill will establish the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) that will shape UK energy policy for decades to come. It therefore offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set the parameters for tackling climate change, the greatest challenge of the twenty-first

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Tagged decarbonisation targets, ed davey, electricity market regulation and energy bill | 11 Comments

Julian Huppert MP writes… Community sentencing and restorative justice

By Julian Huppert | Tue 23rd October 2012 - 4:40 pm

Our country’s relentless focus on punishment for punishment’s sake, rather than as a tool for crime reduction and rehabilitation, has consigned thousands of individuals to a hopeless life with no way out. A staggering 90% of those sentenced in England and Wales in 2011 had committed a previous offence.

Even in the best of circumstances – where criminals are caught, trials are fair and judges pass sentence – prisoners aren’t rehabilitated; victims remain unfulfilled and citizens are rightly angered.

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Tagged rehabilitation of offenders act, restorative justice and sentencing | 16 Comments

Opinion: Mr Quelch muscles in on localism

By Andy Boddington | Tue 23rd October 2012 - 3:50 pm

“Fellows near Mr. Quelch’s study window heard a sound from within—the rhythmic sound of a cane on trousers.”

Just who, I wondered, as I watched the House of Commons Select Committee hearing held last week, does the speaker remind me of? Then, as he spoke about using sticks against the laggards, an image from decades ago slipped into my mind.

Oh crikey! I realised that am listening to Mr Quelch, the merciless form master who beat Billy Bunter and his ill-behaved companions at Greyfriars with jolly regularity in the weekly Magnet. I swear that Nick Boles is Quelch reincarnated.

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Tagged Clive Betts, housing, mark prisk and nick boles | 3 Comments

There should be far more rebellions like the one yesterday

By Mark Pack | Tue 23rd October 2012 - 1:25 pm

A brief footnote to Stephen’s piece yesterday Government suffers defeat in Lords over ‘new poll tax’ changes to council tax benefits. Note what the rebellion was over:

An independent review of the changes to be carried out within three years of them being introduced.

Yup, that shocking idea that after a new policy is introduced, we should leave it a little while and then someone should go and take a look how

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Tagged benefits, council tax, featured and stephen tall | 13 Comments

Opinion: Preaching to the choir – regional Liberal Democrat conferences

By Sean Davey | Tue 23rd October 2012 - 9:50 am

This weekend I sacrificed both of my two possible lie-ins for London Regional Conference and a Liberal Youth executive meeting respectively.

Both left me feeling frustrated, and cynical about the future of the party for one main reason: our insularity. Regional conferences are diligently organized – usually by the same people – but feature a similar rotation of speakers, uncontroversial debates and excessive coffee breaks.

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Also posted in Party policy and internal matters | 16 Comments

A confession: I’m a Lib Dem and I support elected police commissioners

By Stephen Tall | Mon 22nd October 2012 - 9:00 pm

Here’s the thing: I don’t have a problem with elected police commissioners. I know they were a Tory manifesto idea and that the Lib Dems are opposed to them (while reluctantly agreeing to vote for them as part of the Coalition Agreement). But I’m just fine with them. My support for directly elected police commissioners is paralleled by my support for directly elected mayors:

For too long, city council politics have been in the hands of amateur part-time leaders: some have been very good, some not so

…

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Tagged elected police commissioners, featured, jersey and john prescott | 57 Comments

Lynne Featherstone MP writes… First ever Lib Dem DFID Minister, first trip to Africa

By Lynne Featherstone | Mon 22nd October 2012 - 7:50 am

A month after taking up my new role as Minister for Africa in the Department for International Development, I’m currently on my first trip to the continent – South Sudan, via an overnight stop in Kenya.

Though I’ve actually been to Africa in my role as International Champion for Tackling Violence against Women Overseas, a role I’ve held since soon after the Coalition was formed, I’m anxious to see first-hand the work that DFID does toward alleviating suffering, bettering people’s lives and working with partner governments to improve their

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Tagged africa, dfid and south sudan | 2 Comments

Opinion: We should be making the positive case for immigration

By Tom Richards | Sun 21st October 2012 - 3:50 pm

The Economist’s front page this week signals its leader on immigration – which says that the Government is getting it wrong on immigration.

The Economist is right. The Government is getting it wrong. All the evidence points towards skilled migrants having a positive impact on the economy for everyone that’s already in the country. And the evidence for unskilled workers having any negative impact on wages or jobs is at best ambiguous. As the article points out (give it a read if you haven’t), making it near on impossible for …

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Tagged immigration | 33 Comments

Opinion: A Really Popular Lib Dem Policy Proposal – Free Anti-Viral Software!

By Geoff Crocker | Sun 21st October 2012 - 11:25 am

Free anti-viral software to every citizen. This should be adopted immediately as core Lib Dem policy, and be in the manifesto for the next election. Like Roman bread and circuses, it would be a hugely popular vote-puller. It would propel the party to first place in the polls. Moreover it is also intellectually defensible, a rare combination of virtue in today’s post-modern sound-bite world.

You might smile and think this is typical wacky Lib Dem stuff, the kind of thing which George Orwell’s bearded fruit juice-drinking …

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62 Comments

Opinion: Mind the gap – a sceptical view of the need for cuts

By Bill le Breton | Sun 21st October 2012 - 9:50 am

The UK’s economic position has deteriorated, government revenues are lower and welfare expenditure higher than anticipated, worsening the deficit so that austerity must continue further into this decade. Because of this deterioration a combination of increased taxes or cuts must be identified in the Autumn Spending Statement in December.

That is the orthodox view. It is based on the generally accepted proposition that the structural deficit should be eliminated. This has set off widespread debate as to whether the increased scale of the structural deficit should be eliminated by increased taxes (such as a Mansion Tax) or expenditure reductions and where these should be identified, with the Conservatives placing welfare cuts at the top of their agenda.

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Tagged deficit, economy and Roger Bootle | 25 Comments

An ironic gift to Miliband from some of his opponents

By Mark Pack | Sat 20th October 2012 - 6:59 pm

Amongst the political obstacles between Ed Miliband and No. 10 Downing Street are a closely entwined pair related to deficits: how much control over him is wielded by the trade union bosses* and does he have a credible alternative to the government’s economic policies?

Labour has often been very coy about quite what it would cut and how much it would cut. Ed Miliband’s speech at the anti-austerity protest march today did not shed light on matters.

However, rather than that being a problem to him, his political opponents to his left …

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Tagged ed miliband | 9 Comments

Opinion: Where now on Electoral Reform? (France!)

By Mark Wright | Sat 20th October 2012 - 12:50 pm

Electoral reform is off the public agenda for now whether we like it or not, but campaigners should be planning the future.

Some argue that the deceptions of the “No” campaign means that a re-run could be won if only the honest arguments are put and/or full PR was offered. But idea that we should have “another go” at similar arguments for AV+ or STV and expect a different outcome is wrong. All the arguments against AV are even stronger so for AV+ and STV. They will be defeated by an alliance of Tory and Labour tribalists, just as AV and House of Lords reform were.

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Tagged electoral reform and france | 70 Comments

Opinion: Two ways to help fix the global crisis

By Phil Ling | Sat 20th October 2012 - 10:50 am

It has long become clear that the financial crisis has been on a scale deeper and larger than many people have suspected. It has also been exacerbated by muddled policy responses from all Governments and policy makers. Whilst the need to control debt is not in doubt, capital expenditure projects should be pursued and tighter bank regulations need introducing (with much clearer splits between retail and investment banks); all economies are still struggling.

Step one: better Quantitative Easing

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Tagged economy and quantitative easing | 10 Comments

Opinion: Clegg was right to refuse to sign Page 3 protest

By David Thorpe | Fri 19th October 2012 - 4:22 pm

In common with most of you, when I saw that Nick Clegg was The Sun newspaper’s hero of the week – I grew worried that the path to populism which Clegg has embraced in recent months had led to a particularly illiberal precipice.

Clegg has, since the unveiling of the differentiation strategy come to resemble politically the drunken man wandering from bar to bar trying to get served one final time, as the Deputy Prime Minister lurches from one initiative to another, hoping to turn the alchemy of populism into the solid gold of popularity. I discuss this further here and here

But in declining to back the banning on Page 3 girls, Nick has taken a position which is

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Tagged nick clegg and page 3 | 33 Comments

Lynne Featherstone writes… Local services matter!

By Lynne Featherstone | Fri 19th October 2012 - 2:50 pm

International Development minister Lynne Featherstone writes a monthly column for one of her local newspapers. Here is the latest one…..

What would we do without our schools, hospitals, post and sorting offices, small businesses and pubs? Our local services are the backbone of our community and need to be protected – but they have been under threat in Haringey for years.

Right from our childhood, we begin to benefit from one of the most important local services – schools. It is vital that schools have enough money to provide a good education and pay their teachers decent wages. Haringey’s schools, however, faced

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1 Comment

Opinion: paying the Living Wage makes business sense, so what are you waiting for?

By Bharat Mehta | Fri 19th October 2012 - 10:52 am

The Living Wage is something that all the main political parties endorse. According to the Prime Minister it is an idea ‘whose time has come’; Nick Clegg is behind it; Ed Miliband praised it at the Labour conference; and Boris Johnson is a staunch supporter of the campaign. It is therefore unfortunate that, for an idea that enjoys such strong cross-party support, to date, the only local councils accredited as Living Wage employers are of one political colour – red.

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Tagged living wage | 13 Comments