Category Archives: Op-eds

Stephen Tall

Wakey, wakey! It’s PCC election day in England and Wales. You hadn’t forgotten, had you?

By Stephen Tall | Thu 15th November 2012 - 10:40 am

Election day is usually a day when, if you’re at all interested/involved in politics, the pulse quickens, the blood pumps faster, the adrenaline kicks in. With all due respect to the sane candidates standing for the post of Police and Crime Commissioner (and naturally with very best wishes to those Lib Dems flying the party’s flag in England) today just doesn’t feel right.* In fact, it feels like a damp squib.

I think that’s a shame for two reasons.

First, voting matters. It’s perhaps the purest, most powerful way …

Continue reading »
Tagged | 16 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Nick Clegg: Parents can share the joys and responsibilities of bringing children into the world

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 14th November 2012 - 4:33 pm

Nick Clegg went on Woman’s Hour yesterday after announcing the Coalition’s plans to allow parents to choose which of them takes leave when they have a new baby.

He talked to Jane Garvey about the plans for around 20 minutes, fielding some pretty robust questions, including whether men or women actually wanted this change. He was quite firm that it wasn’t for the government to say that women should take time off and men should work when a baby was born.

Continue reading »
Tagged , , , , and | 2 Comments
Geoff Crocker

Opinion: Get real about corporate tax

By Geoff Crocker | Wed 14th November 2012 - 2:25 pm

Companies currently pay corporation tax in the country where they are incorporated. A campaign is under way, in the Guardian, and the Commons Public Accounts Committee, that companies should instead pay tax where they make their sales. The proposal has populist appeal, but is impracticable.

Many companies, including UK companies, make export sales without costly incorporation in each sales country. If a US coal producer sells 1m tonnes of coal to UK powerplants for £100m, and makes £5m profit, it submits accounts in the US for tax authority scrutiny, and pays US tax on the £5m. Should this profit be …

Continue reading »
Tagged , , , , and | 29 Comments
Martin Petts

A letter from……Catalonia

By Martin Petts | Wed 14th November 2012 - 11:57 am

As the UK plans a referendum on Scottish independence, those of us watching from Spain can only look on in envy at the orderly and civilised process led by the Secretary of State for Scotland. Here in Catalonia, Northern Spain, similar demand exists for an independent state, but the two sides have chosen indignation and confrontation instead of a serious debate.

The last two years have been tough for all EU governing parties and Spain has unique problems, with its sky-high unemployment levels, corruption and a rickety banking system. But this month Catalans will go to the polls in a general

Continue reading »
Tagged , , , and | 8 Comments
Michael Moore

Michael Moore’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 14th November 2012 - 9:55 am

Every week Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore writes a column for newspapers in his Borders constituency. Here’s this week’s edition.

Mobile phone coverage

Mobile phone service ‘not spots’ across my constituency remain a huge frustration for local people and have a serious knock-on effect for businesses and Borderers going about their daily lives. As local MP, I have been working for many years to tackle this issue and I have welcomed the UK Government’s commitment, through the Mobile Infrastructure Project, to invest £150million to improve mobile phone signal in rural areas and on key transport routes.

Last week I …

Continue reading »
Tagged , , and | 1 Comment
James Kempton

Opinion: Champions for London’s Children

By James Kempton | Wed 14th November 2012 - 8:52 am

The Liberal Democrat education policy, written before the General Election, detailed a strong strategic role for councils, including commissioning new schools and holding all schools to account whatever their status.

The question now is whether this is more than just a change in the mood music, and whether the Coalition is genuinely up for endorsing local authorities who seek to hold academies to account as part of a strong ‘champion for children’ role.  And moreover, whether they will give councils the teeth they need to do it properly.

Who better to rise to this challenge and make the case persuasively to government …

Continue reading »
Tagged , and | 3 Comments
Miranda Whitehead

Opinion: Shared Parental Leave? Why Bother?

By Miranda Whitehead | Tue 13th November 2012 - 5:00 pm

Nick Clegg’s announcement today may be overshadowed by various rows in the media, but this is an historic moment. Parents will soon be able to share 50 weeks of the 52 weeks maternity leave entitlement, and everyone will have the right to request flexible working.

Why does this matter?

Because we are wasting the talent of our women workers to such an extent that when women start a family they often take a drop in their pay, lose the opportunity for promotion or even can find themselves locked out of the labour market. About one million women are missing from the …

Continue reading »
Tagged , , and | 4 Comments
David Thorpe

Opinion: Now is the time to re-nationalise the railways

By David Thorpe | Tue 13th November 2012 - 4:10 pm

Virgin trainAs the 2015 General Election approaches, the principle challenge for Liberal Democrat policy makers will be to come up with distinctive policies which don’t trade in our party’s radicalism while allowing us to trade on our experience as a serious party of government.

One policy which we can be confident won’t be pursued by either of the other two parties is that of re-nationalising the railways.

Readers familiar with my previous posts on this site would be surprised to see me advocating nationalisation as a policy.

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 34 Comments
Don Foster MP

Don Foster MP writes… Hear the views of Lib Dem councils on planning issues

By Don Foster MP | Tue 13th November 2012 - 11:48 am

Everyone benefits from a planning system that is efficient and effective – enabling the homes, jobs and facilities that communities need while minimising uncertainty for those promoting or affected by development.

The development of the National Planning Policy Framework, reducing 1,300 pages of planning policies in 44 separate documents to just 50 pages, has been widely welcomed. It will ensure that every area has a clear local plan which sets out local people’s views of how they wish their community to develop, consistent with the Framework, and against which planning applications for planning permission will be judged.
Less popular, among Liberal …

Continue reading »
Tagged | 17 Comments
Simon McGrath

Opinion: Liberal Reform response to ‘Shares for Rights’

By Simon McGrath | Tue 13th November 2012 - 9:45 am

Liberal Reform has responded to the BIS Consultation on ‘Employee owner’ status. Like most Lib Dems we do not see that there is any need for this and it is noticeable that no evidence has been presented that this reduction in employee rights would make any difference to growth. We are also concerned that an association in people’s mind between owning shares and losing rights will put people off owning shares in their employers, through well established plans like Save As You Earn .

We believe that there are two additional questions which need to be asked:

  • How will the legislation

…

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 8 Comments

Opinion: Lord Patten should not go

By Andy Boddington | Tue 13th November 2012 - 8:36 am

Lord PattenVultures are circling above Lord Patten’s head – he must not resign.

George Entwistle may or may not have made a good director general of the BBC. He took over from the maverick Mark Thompson, who had wreaked havoc across the BBC with his Delivering Quality First cuts. Entwistle might just have provided a steady pair of hands to guide the BBC and rebuild its confidence after the Thompson era. But coping with the Savile crisis proved beyond him and his fate became inevitable.

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 2 Comments
Alex Marsh

Opinion: Housing – winding the clock back

By Alex Marsh | Mon 12th November 2012 - 2:53 pm

Friday 9th November 2012 could well come to be seen as a landmark date in the history of English housing policy. A key change introduced by the Localism Act 2011 came into effect. The Liberal Democrats are part of the Government presiding over the change. Is it a change we can be proud of?

Local authorities can now discharge their statutory homelessness duty by allocating households a tenancy in the private rented sector rather than in social housing. This has been an option for years. But until now to

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 9 Comments
Steven Haynes

Opinion: Let’s end the smoke filled rooms and make the party truly democratic

By Steven Haynes | Mon 12th November 2012 - 10:53 am

When Tim Gordon sent out an email announcing the results of the Federal Committee Elections he said:

The Liberal Democrats are a democratic party to the core, and your voting representatives have returned a set of committees which will ensure that members’ voices are heard at all levels of the party.

However, I look at the results as someone who is a member of Liberal Democrats for Electoral Reform, a democracy activist who

Continue reading »
Also posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged and | 32 Comments
Libby Local

Libby Local, Episode 3: “Golden moments”

By Libby Local | Sun 11th November 2012 - 2:20 pm

On Monday I was sitting in the Market Tavern sipping a milky latte and gazing vaguely at my iPad. I’d been asked to write a piece for Lib Dem Focus and was finding it quite a challenge. As I struggled to simplify a tortuous phrase, Tony, a neighbour of mine thankfully joined me.

We talked local politics and he asked whether I had finally decided whether to stand for council next year. I found myself replying with a curious mix of pride and caution that I found a little disconcerting.

“Yes,” I said. “I’m standing for the Lib Dems.”

He …

Continue reading »
Tagged | 7 Comments
Stephen Tall

Entwistle quits BBC: what next?

By Stephen Tall | Sun 11th November 2012 - 12:20 pm

Another week, another day’s news headlines dominated by the media talking about itself… though this time with some legitimacy, as it’s not every day the Director-General of the BBC resigns within two months of being appointed to the post.

George Entwistle and the BBC’s Catch-22 problem

The BBC Director-General is editor-in-chief of the organisation, ultimately responsible for all content. The DG must also lead an organisation with 23,000 employees, a £4.8bn budget and multiple TV, radio and online outlets. I think it’s fair to say those are two …

Continue reading »
Tagged , , , , , , , and | 9 Comments
Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone writes… Haringey deserves better

By Lynne Featherstone | Fri 9th November 2012 - 11:50 am

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

I’m often asked why I got in to politics. There were a number of causes– but prominent amongst them was (and still is) complete and utter frustration with the Labour-run Haringey Council!

I live in a small cul-de-sac and whilst most dwellings here have one off street parking space (including me) many don’t. Some years ago now – Haringey decided to paint double yellow lines on both sides of the road – completely unnecessarily – which would have meant no parking …

Continue reading »
Tagged | 5 Comments

Opinion: Making a Pickle of the politics of planning

By Andy Boddington | Thu 8th November 2012 - 11:14 am

Eric Pickles is a great populist and masterful at landing a political punch. During Monday’s debate on the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, he was being pressed by Hilary Benn. Will he, Benn demanded, name a lagging planning authority that might be brought into special measures under the bill? “I am very happy to name the worst, which is Hackney,” Pickles told MPs with evident glee.

Poor Labour controlled Hackney, named and shamed as the worst planning authority in England. Except it isn’t – by far. The furious mayor of …

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 16 Comments
Stephen Tall

Why there isn’t a British Nate Silver

By Stephen Tall | Thu 8th November 2012 - 8:22 am

A skim-read of Wednesday morning’s headlines might have left folk confused as to who had been declared the victor of the US presidential election: Barack Obama or Nate Silver.

For those who don’t know Nate Silver, he’s the analytical guru behind the FiveThirtyEight blog (named after the number of electoral college votes), now housed at the New York Times, which scrutinises and filters opinion polls. He first rose to prominence four years ago after predicting the winner in 49 of the 50 US states during the Obama-McCain presidential contest, …

Continue reading »
Tagged , , and | 17 Comments
Geof Todd

Opinion: Three birds, one enhanced programme – beyond the town centre rejuvenation plans

By Geof Todd | Wed 7th November 2012 - 4:26 pm

In the wake of both the Government’s town centre rejuvenation plan and the Mary Portas initiative, I believe we have a bigger opportunity to build on the interest and momentum created by both these plans to use them to address some wider and related issues.

The current plans are very specific to town centres and I fully agree with the intent; however, I believe it could be enhanced to also address 2 additional points – the need to offer people not just the minimum wage, but a more representative ‘Living wage’ to help them out of any potential Benefits …

Continue reading »
Also posted in News | Tagged | Leave a comment
Norman Baker MP

Norman Baker MP writes… Green light for more green buses

By Norman Baker MP | Wed 7th November 2012 - 3:23 pm

Last year there were an estimated 2.3 billion bus passenger journeys in England. More people up and down the country get to work by bus than by all other forms of public transport combined, and over 50% of students use them to get to classrooms and lectures. More than that, they provide a life-line for rural communities and just as vital in cities in terms of reducing traffic jams and air pollution by getting people out of cars. But even while people are reducing their carbon emissions by hopping on the bus rather than using their cars, we want to …

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 4 Comments
David Thorpe

Opinion: Growth has returned, but what does it reveal?

By David Thorpe | Wed 7th November 2012 - 1:59 pm

One of the few tactically savvy moves made by the coalition recently has been its muted response to UK economy’s return to growth. This article examines what the return to growth means for the wider economy.

The first point to make is that, just as the double-dip phase of the recession was caused by international events, the return to growth has similarly been caused by external factors. The coalition deserves neither blame for the double-dip, nor credit for its ending.

Many of those who oppose the coalition’s economic policies on political rather than economic grounds question the validity of the …

Continue reading »
Tagged | 5 Comments

The Independent View: In defence of the Police

By Chris Meredith | Wed 7th November 2012 - 11:56 am

Comedian David Mitchell wrote an article in The Guardian recently in which he was generally disparaging of the police read it here

After reading the article I said to my wife ‘David Mitchell really doesn’t like the police’ her response was ‘What do you expect? He’s a liberal. They don’t like the police generally’ Is this true? It seems, to a degree, that it is. The police represent authority, discipline and justice. They can appear as the antithesis of the most basic principles of Liberalism: Liberty, equality, freedom and civil rights but my argument is that without the police democracy …

Continue reading »
Also posted in The Independent View | Tagged and | 32 Comments
Michael Moore

Michael Moore’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 7th November 2012 - 8:58 am

Every week Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland writes a column for newspapers in his Borders constituency. Here’s this week’s edition.

Borders Businesses

As the new GDP figures point in the right direction and a return to growth, I am working with local business here in the Borders to ensure they receive the support and advice they need to grow and create jobs for local people. At the moment I am conducting a Business Survey to assist me in this work and I want to encourage any business in Berwickshire which has not yet received one of these surveys to contact …

Continue reading »
Tagged , and | Leave a comment
Fiona Hall MEP

Fiona Hall writes: EU exit would jeopardise Britain’s global trade

By Fiona Hall MEP | Tue 6th November 2012 - 4:24 pm

For years Europhobes have been propagating the misconception that Britain has to choose between the EU and the rest of the world.

 However, this ‘choice’ between the EU and the rest of the world is a false choice. Indeed, being part of the EU is the best way to increase Britain’s trade with emerging markets.  As Nick Clegg pointed out in his speech on Europe last week, the EU has free trade agreements in force with 46 countries and negotiations with another 78 countries are currently under way. In addition, the European Parliament last week lent its weight to launching new negotiations with the USA and Japan.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Europe / International | Tagged , and | 25 Comments
Adam Corlett

Opinion: Taking minimum wage work out of tax would deliver the Living Wage

By Adam Corlett | Tue 6th November 2012 - 3:30 pm

With greater ambition, the Liberal Democrats’ policy of increasing the personal allowance would equalise the Living Wage and the minimum wage, without risking jobs.

It was announced yesterday that the national ‘Living Wage’ for 2013/14 will be £7.45. This compares to the National Minimum Wage of £6.19. Boris Johnson has urged more companies to adopt the Living Wage, and Labour are even considering giving tax incentives for firms to pay the Living Wage.

Few would argue with the benefits of higher pay for employees, or with other Living Wage benefits such as lower staff turnover. But evidently most employers …

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 15 Comments
Norman Lamb MP

Norman Lamb writes: The Liverpool Care Pathway and end of life care

By Norman Lamb MP | Tue 6th November 2012 - 1:06 pm

I imagine many people had not heard of the Liverpool Care Pathway before it hit the headlines a couple of weeks ago with allegations of patients denied drugs, liquid and sustenance and families experiencing real distress. Set up in the late 1990s, its intention was to help spread elements of the hospice model of care into other settings: hospitals, care homes and people’s own homes. We all want to know that our loved ones – no matter where they are – will receive dignified and appropriate care in the last hours and days of their life.

Used properly, the Pathway ensures that individuals receive whatever treatments are right for them in their final days. The Liverpool Care Pathway itself is very clear that patients should be involved in decisions about their care if possible, and that carers and families should always be included in the decision-making process.

Continue reading »
Tagged , , and | 7 Comments
Shaffaq Mohammed

Opinion: Tough Choices – Yes, but local politicians must grasp opportunities as well as challenges

By Shaffaq Mohammed | Tue 6th November 2012 - 11:49 am

Sheffield Town HallI doubt that there are many councillors who are unaware of the scale of the country’s financial difficulties. Yet whatever your prescription for resuscitating the British economy, politicians of all parties agree that reducing the deficit is a crucial piece in the puzzle.

Regardless of your views on the Government’s strategy, it is clear that reductions in council budgets are a reality. The challenge for councillors is to best adjust to the new climate and mitigate the impact on the services that people care about most.

I do not believe that the way forward is to abandon all council services, leaving local government as a sole provider of social care. Rather, local government should be taking the lead in innovative ways of thinking – taking bold steps to cut waste, not just services.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Local government | Tagged , , and | 4 Comments
Merlene Emerson

A postcard from… China: a fly on the Great Wall

By Merlene Emerson | Tue 6th November 2012 - 10:25 am

Great Wall of ChinaIt was not my first visit to China (in fact my third time climbing the great wall) but certainly the most intense: ten days from 22nd October to 1st November.  Along with 26 other Overseas Chinese delegates involved in politics from eight nations in Europe and Africa, I was on a study visit at the invitation of the Chinese Government on the eve of the 18th Peoples’ Congress.

Amongst our number were an MP from South Africa, an ex-Minister from Mauritius, a special advisor to the Mayor of Cologne, Germany (twinned with Beijing), Councillors from the Netherlands and France, as well as representatives from all 3 major parties in the UK. Other Liberal Democrats included Councillor Sam Li from Lewes, Jerry Cheung from Sheffield and Anna Lo from our sister Alliance party in Northern Ireland.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Bill le Breton

Opinion: Will Special Branch be knocking on the Old Lady’s door?

By Bill le Breton | Tue 6th November 2012 - 9:09 am

Today three reports have been published into the operations of the Bank of England. None of these pose the killer question: why, when for month after month in 2008 the UK’s Gross Domestic Product in money terms (the NGDP) fell from its stable long term annual growth rate of +5% to -5% a year, did the Monetary Policy Committee stubbornly maintained the Bank’s interest rate at 5%?

This excellent blog by Britmouse details, details the quarterly falls in NGDP and the inertia of the Bank which has the power to set the level of aggregate demand in the economy.

It is …

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 10 Comments
Nick T

The living wage is fine as far as it goes, but the Lib Dems can be bolder

By Nick T | Mon 5th November 2012 - 8:00 pm

There we have it. Miliband’s big idea: the living wage. Only it is not Miliband’s idea. And more to the point it is not a very big idea. In fact, it seems to me extraordinarily unambitious.

We presently have a system in which somebody earning the national minimum wage – which for most is not sufficient to live in any comfort even before tax – and working full time pays income tax at 20% on about a third of their salary, national insurance, VAT on the goods they buy, fuel duty and road tax on the car that gets them to …

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 16 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Jana
    “ One practical solution would be to make it much easier for primary school teachers to requalify and go to work in our secondary schools” Really? Most p...
  • Michael BG
    Peter Davies, In the report the IPPR suggest that the 2% could start being paid by pensioners from the personal allowance (£12,570) level. From this income ...
  • Michal Simon
    @Sarah Dyke You have highlighted an important problem. Climate change is already hitting farmers in practical ways: wetter winters, flooded fields, longer drou...
  • Andy Daer
    @Matthew Harris, I don't share your fascination with ChatGPT, but when asked about Israeli politicians who've advocated the killing of Palestinian children beca...
  • Ben Mathis
    If the planned reorganisation was so bad - as a Londoner and thus not affected, I can't directly comment - then it's good to see the government reconsider. The ...