Category Archives: Op-eds

Jack Nicholls

Young people need liberal listening, not authoritarian threats

By Jack Nicholls | Mon 25th November 2024 - 12:27 pm

Young people, so says the DWP Secretary, must ‘learn or earn’ or lose benefits. Be warned, dear reader, this is an angry post.

This announcement by Liz Kendall has put three things in my mind. Firstly, never underestimate the excessive power of rhyme in policy creation. Secondly, the authoritarian parties will never resist the temptation to hammer young people with a mixture of higher expectations and the threat of less money. Thirdly, it reminded me of one of the formative experiences for my liberalism.

I have worked with young people during a couple of periods in a varied career. The young people …

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Tom Arms

Tom Arms’ World Review

By Tom Arms | Sun 24th November 2024 - 10:41 am

COP 29

COP 29 is in trouble. It was inevitable. This year’s climate change conference is in oil-producing Baku, Azerbaijan, and host president Ilham Aliyev is using the conference to push oil and gas as “a gift from God.”

This is encouraging the Saudis who are working hard to strike the phrase “transition away from fossil fuels” from previously agreed communiques.

Then there is the question of the transfer of money from the developed to the developing world; partly to compensate them from the effects of climate change problems created by the industrial north and partly to help them transition away from fossil fuels to clean, green energy.

Previous communiques talked about $100 billion. Now it is generally agreed that $1.3 trillion is a more realistic figure. A big fine, global figure which is facing the problem of devilish detail. What for instance, constitutes a developing country. Officially Saudi Arabia, China and India are all developing countries. The Saudis are as rich as Croesus, China has the second largest economy in the world and India the fourth and will soon be third.

And how will this transfer of $1.3 trillion be organised? Will it be hand-outs which might well end up in some dictator’s Swiss bank account? Will private investments which can create a return for the Western investor be counted in the $1.3 trillion, or research and development grants? All this is being negotiated as I type and will probably be unresolved long after the conference ends.

In fact, the protracted negotiations are proving to be an insurmountable hurdle for the understaffed Azerbaijani diplomatic service. They have been forced to turn to the British and Brazilians to help sort out the muddle and—hopefully—produce a communique.

Any real progress is likely to have to wait until the next COP summit. But that is unlikely to achieve anything because the world’s second largest polluter and the world’s largest per capita—the United States—will not be attending. Donald Trump has promised to withdraw from the COP summits and “drill, baby, drill.”

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his sacked defense minister Yoav Gallant this week had arrest warrants issued for them by the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Hamas leader Mohammed Deif has also been charged but he is unlikely to ever appear in court simply because he has been killed by the Israeli Defense Forces.

There are 123 countries who are signatories to the ICC. This means, according to international law by which they have pledged to abide, if Netanyahu, Gallant or the ghost of Mohammed Deif, step on their territory, they must arrest them.

Britain and the Netherlands have confirmed that Netanyahu faces such a fate if he dares to visit them.

America has condemned the arrest warrants as “outrageous” and said that the Israelis are safe with them. Well, they have a legal out. The Clinton Administration signed up to the ICC and its obligations but George W. Bush “unsigned”, so the US is under no legal obligation to work with the court. Other countries which are not signatories are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia and China.

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Tom Arms

Observations of an Expat: One Down

By Tom Arms | Sat 23rd November 2024 - 9:36 am

One down. A lot more to go.

The infamous and totally unsuitable Matt Gaetz on Friday withdrew his name for consideration as Donald Trump’s Attorney General.

The world heaved a sigh of relief. Trump must have been furious. Gaetz was just the sort of MAGA loyalist he wanted as the nation’s top cop. As Gaetz has demonstrated repeatedly in the past, he would do whatever Trump told him to do.

The demise of former Congressman Gatez wasn’t a real surprise. He is one of the most unpopular lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He is regarded as a bombastic egotist tainted with allegations of drug abuse and under-age sex.

He resigned his seat from Congress in order to prevent publication of the Congressional Ethics Committee report which detailed his nefarious activities. The committee is not supposed to publish reports on former members of Congress. He withdrew from the Attorney General’s job when he heard that old and new allegations were about to surface anyway.

Gatez, however, is only one of many potential Trump appointees who expose the president-elect’s contempt for social norms and the rule of law. He sees his election as a mandate to disrupt the American government and then rebuild it again in his image. His choice of appointments reflect this.

Total control of the Department of Justice and the FBI is a top Trump target – Gaetz as Attorney General would have been in charge of both institutions who by convention work independently of the executive branch. The Department of Defense is another because he wants a loyal military to be used – if necessary – for domestic security.

That is why he has nominated Peter Hesgeth, a Fox News presenter, whose two qualifications for the job was that he served as a National Guard officer in Iraq and Afghanistan and – more importantly – he is a far-right Trump loyalist.

Donald Trump had problems with the military during his first term. They refused to become embroiled in politics. The generals, admirals and other senior officers, argued that their loyalty was to their personal oath to the US constitution rather than to an individual.

Hegseth wants to change that. He has proposed sacking generals who are not right-wing enough. In the Hesgeth playbook everyone who is not a Trump loyalist is a “Marxist” and must be “annihilated.” In his book American Crusade Hesgeth wrote chillingly: “The hour is late for America. Beyond political success, her fate relies on exorcising the leftist spectre dominating education, religion, and culture – a 360-degree holy war for the righteous cause of human freedom.”

And as for democracy, well Hegseth claims that the founding fathers did not want the United States to be a democracy and their views – or his interpretation of those views – should be respected.

Like Trump and Gatez, Hegseth has a sex charge allegation hanging over him. In 2017, a woman accused a drunken Hegseth of sexually assaulting her. She dropped the charges after being paid $10,000, but rest assured the issue will be raised during his Senate confirmation hearings.

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David Agyemang

Attracting the youth vote

By David Agyemang | Fri 22nd November 2024 - 12:31 pm

A poll conducted by YouGov after the last general election revealed that the Liberal Democrats won 16% of the vote of those aged 18–24-year-olds. As good as this may seem (especially compared to 5% of the same age group we won in 2015), this was still 2% behind the Green Party and 25% behind Labour. Traditionally, social liberal parties tend to score well amongst younger voters and this trend has continued in all elections this year. To further solidify our status as an electoral force this is the most likely demographic with which we could make advances in 2025 and beyond. As Labour plans to extend voting rights to those aged 16 and 17, there is no better time to run on a progressive platform aimed towards young people.

EDUCATION

The Conservative Party have broken education. We’ve seen this figuratively in the failure of Gove’s academy system and literally as our underfunded schools are cold, damp and falling to pieces. The current Labour government has a mountain to climb when it comes to, not only improving the quality of our state schools, but also to ensure that our education system is equipping our young people for the real world.

In our current secondary school education system, there is far too much emphasis on examinations. Students who may be talented engineers or mathematicians will have to re-sit an entire GCSE because they couldn’t describe a desert well enough in their English exam. On the other hand, our future doctors and surgeons may not be able to pursue their ideal course at Sixth-form or college because they forgot the exact trigonometrical value of sin, cos and tan. The problem is that our examinations are stripping away the value of our education system; damaging the progress and wellbeing of our students. Students will sit around 31 and half hours of exams, not only is this brutal on our young people but it’s incredibly difficult on our teachers who are working relentlessly to ensure that their students are equipped enough to get a certain number on a test.

To solve this, I propose a change to the way we go about education. First, and most importantly, we must change our broken and outdated examination system, specifically our current post-secondary GCSEs. Exams are becoming increasingly irrelevant with students having to learn a large amount of content which they won’t ever use again and can be easily replaced with fewer exams over a longer period of time. Japan and Canada have a small number of standardised tests every couple of years and both have a thriving education system with an improving number of satisfied students.

FOREIGN POLICY

The Erasmus programme was one of the less pronounced concessions we made when leaving the European Union. This was a scheme where students were able to study or do an internship in another EU country or one of the 6 ‘third countries’ associated with the programme. This was funded by the European Commission. We chose to leave the EU and not become a third country in the programme so, to put it simply, our students have less opportunities than others.

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Lord William Wallace

Europe or USA: do we now have to choose?

By Lord William Wallace | Fri 22nd November 2024 - 9:59 am

The UK’s image of its place in the world since the Second World War has rested on the claim to act as the ‘Atlantic bridge’, as Tony Blair used to put it.  We were the USA’s closest ally within Europe, and one of the major players, alongside France and Germany, within Europe.  The end of the Cold War weakened that claim, as American attention turned towards the Pacific.  Brexit weakened it a great deal further.  But now Trump Republicans and their British supporters are insisting that we have to choose: follow America, or slide back towards Europe.

The Times on November 16th headlined the statement by Stephen Moore, advising Trump at his Florida base, that ‘Britain must decide – do you want to go towards the European socialist model or do you want to go towards the US free market?’  If the latter, then a free trade agreement would be available to avoid the tariff war Trump is threatening to engage in with the EU and others; if not, no deal.  This wasn’t a surprise; Daniel Hannan had an Op-ed in the Mail three days before, making the case for Britain accepting a trade deal with the USA and the extra-territorial regulations (on food additives and hygiene, etc.) that would go with it rather than moving closer to the EU Single Market.  There are even reports that some in the Trump camp want to extend the North American Free Trade Area to Australia and the UK, to form an Anglo-Saxon grouping (with Mexico as an anomaly) under American leadership.

Brexit was never really about re-establishing British sovereignty.  For romantics like Hannan about the superiority of ‘the English-speaking peoples’ and the ‘special relationship’ which was thought to offer Britain continuing global status it was about following the USA and accepting its economic and social model rather than what was seen to be the European alternative – yielding sovereignty to the USA rather than sharing sovereignty with our European neighbours.  Boris Johnson’s Churchill fixation pushed him towards the idea that Britain and America were and remain ‘special’ partners.  Nigel Farage is an even stronger advocate of Anglo-Saxon solidarity – assuming that the USA will continue to be run by Republican Administrations promoting free markets and a shrunken state.

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Adam Harley

Prisoner mentorship schemes are transformative for individuals and communities alike

By Adam Harley | Tue 19th November 2024 - 11:00 am

The Scottish Liberal Democrats conference this past weekend was quite something. It was fantastic to be in a room full of likeminded people and to play a part in some truly compelling debates.

We stayed true to that time honoured Lib Dem principle of disagreeing well, as shown by the thoughtful discussions on gender balance in selections and the policy motion, which I brought to conference, on further restrictions around smoking. Both motions were passed after fantastic input from both sides of the argument.

However, I wanted to reflect on something particularly close to my heart: the mini-motion I proposed, which was debated on Saturday morning. I called for mentorship schemes in every Scottish prison to help tackle the twin crises of reoffending and overcrowding.

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Paul Walter

Big Gay Wedding with Tom Allen – a great look back & celebration of equal marriage

By Paul Walter | Tue 19th November 2024 - 9:00 am

Embed from Getty Images

This BBC film came out in March to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the first UK equal marriage. So I am catching up a bit. I started watching it because it was re-shown on BBC1 on Sunday. If you haven’t seen it, it is very much worth watching.

It’s partly a reflection back on the history of the campaign for equal marriage in the UK, and partly an entertaining look at the planning and realisation of the wedding of Adam and Dan of Brighton.

Tom Allen is an amusing and articulate host. He traces the history of equal marriage with guests Peter Tatchell, Sandi Toksvig, David Cameron and Lynne Featherstone.

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Michal Siewniak

Is it time to remove party politics from local government?

By Michal Siewniak | Mon 18th November 2024 - 10:53 am

It was a very moving and poignant moment for all who attended the Remembrance Sunday services, which are held across the country in the last week or so. As an EU national, who has lived abroad for more than 20 years, it is quite an important month for us too as Poland celebrates re-gaining its independence on 11 November.

As I was walking back to my car, I bumped into a former Councillor, who stood down at the last elections. Although we sat at the opposite benches of the Council Chamber, I also had a lot of time for him. He was never confrontational, he always tried to put his views across well, in a constructive way, without a need to score cheap political points. When I asked him whether he misses his role as a Councillor, he said no. Some of the things that he mentioned were obvious and yet so hard to implement, even at the local level. In my experience, far too often, we have no ability to accept that our opponent or Council colleague might have equally good legislative ideas. We reject motions only because they come from the other side of the Chamber. Our former Welwyn Hatfield Councillor didn’t like this “democratic ping-pong”, which “empowers” party politics and doesn’t recognise our individual or collective contribution. Is this the fault of the system? Why is it so hard for elected members, Councillors or MP’s, to simply admit that someone might have a good point? Why is it so hard for us to listen to understand and not only listen to respond?

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Anne-Marie Simpson

Using the influence of the Liberal Network to push for peace: reviewing ties with Israel’s Yesh Atid

By Anne-Marie Simpson | Fri 15th November 2024 - 9:40 am

In September, Liberal Democrat Conference passed an emergency policy motion on Gaza and the wider Middle East conflict. We were proud to reaffirm our support for UNRWA, for international courts, and for our policies to suspend arms exports to Israel, cease trade with illegal settlements, and immediately recognise the state of Palestine.

There is, however, an unfortunate final clause in the emergency motion passed: “Conference further calls on Liberal Democrats to engage with all their ALDE and Liberal International sister parties to secure a two-state solution based on 1967 lines in the region, including Israel’s Yesh Atid party.”

Unfortunate, because Yesh Atid stands against almost everything the motion calls for.

Many Liberal Democrats will look to Gaza and think: ‘what difference can we make?’ But even in the absence of meaningful action by the government, and even from our position in opposition, there is something that we can do as an influential member of the family of liberal parties.

We can show that ‘business as usual’ cannot continue for and with those parties which completely disregard everything liberals believe in. We can and should begin moves to end Israel’s Yesh Atid party’s observer status within Liberal International.

In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed two Bills outlawing the operations in-Israel of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), responsible for the co-ordination of aid programmes for Palestinian refugees.

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Ken Westmoreland

The Timorese in Taunton: an unexpected migrant community

By Ken Westmoreland | Thu 14th November 2024 - 9:18 am

12 November in Timor Leste or East Timor, is National Youth Day, which commemorates the massacre of dozens of young pro-independence activists by Indonesian troops in the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili in 1991. Like Sharpeville in South Africa in 1960, during the struggle against apartheid, Santa Cruz was a pivotal event in highlighting atrocities in the former Portuguese colony, which Indonesia had invaded and occupied in 1975, declaring it the Republic’s 27th province.

Back then, I was in correspondence with Lord Avebury, previously the Liberal MP Eric Lubbock, a supporter of East Timor’s right to self-determination, in the years when it seemed a lost cause. Yet by 1999, things in Jakarta had changed, with it agreeing to a UN supervised referendum, in which 78 per cent voted for independence, though the backlash from Indonesian-backed militias saw most of the infrastructure destroyed. This led to the deployment of the Australian-led InterFET peacekeeping force, to which the UK contributed the HMS Glasgow and the Gurkha regiment in Brunei.

Many of the young activists I met living in exile in the UK and Ireland would return home after independence in 2002, becoming parliamentarians, ministers, diplomats or civil servants, with others joining NGOs. However, there was a flow of people out of the country, for economic reasons, just as there were in the Philippines, and even Indonesia; unlike citizens of those countries, however, the East Timorese had the advantage of being entitled to Portuguese, and hence EU, citizenship, which at the time, enabled them to live and work in the UK without needing work permits.

As a result, East Timorese migrant communities sprung up in towns around the UK, like Oxford, Peterborough and Crewe, as well as Dungannon in Northern Ireland, which I visited in 2006, nicknaming it ‘New Dili’. While the Republic was far more supportive of their homeland’s struggle for independence than the UK, as a small nation itself, it was Northern Ireland, or rather the Moy Park chicken factory in Dungannon, which proved a far greater pull than Dublin.

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Joe Harris

Will Labour scrap your local council?

By Joe Harris | Tue 12th November 2024 - 3:40 pm

There’s been much speculation recently, fuelled by leaks from within Government, about the new Labour Government’s upcoming English Devolution Bill. If the reports are accurate, the bill could bring significant changes to the way local government is structured in England. While Labour’s intentions may be aimed at decentralising power, there are worrying indications that some of these proposals could undermine local democracy rather than empower it.

As Liberal Democrats, we have always championed genuine devolution that puts real power in the hands of local communities. But while we welcome the opportunity to engage in a discussion about devolution, we need to tread carefully. If these leaked proposals are anything to go by, there are some aspects that should give us serious pause. Labour seems committed, for instance, to creating new regional mayors across the country—a model that doesn’t necessarily fit all communities and may lead to the abolition of district councils in the process.

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The Voice

Maiden speeches: Charlotte Cane MP for Ely & East Cambridgeshire

By The Voice | Tue 12th November 2024 - 2:07 pm

Charlotte Cane made her maiden speech on Wednesday 6th November during a debate on Budget Resolutions:

Here is the text of the speech in full:

I want to thank those who elected me as the first MP for the new Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency, although I follow in the Liberal footsteps of Clement Freud and others before him. I congratulate the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) on making her first speech to this House; her constituency sounds almost, but not quite, as beautiful as mine. I also congratulate the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (David Williams) on his first speech. My mum is a member of “the turnover club” and I became an honorary member when I came to this House because I felt I needed to check the saucers so that I could report back to her; so I understand where the hon. Gentleman is coming from.

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Paul Hindley

Liberals Must Rediscover Working Class Politics

By Paul Hindley | Sun 10th November 2024 - 11:55 am

The world changed in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Like all Liberal Democrats, I was extremely hopeful the Kamala Harris would be elected as America’s next President. That did not happen. Donald Trump triumphed. Authoritarian nationalism triumphed. The far-right triumphed.

Central to Harris’ defeat was the loss of Latino and even white women voters. But most crucially, it was the loss of working class voters, especially in those vital “rust belt” swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Biden carried these states in 2020 and Obama carried them easily in 2008 and 2012. But the Harris campaign made a fatal error, they failed to realise that it was a cost of living election, they failed to realise the impact of inflation and they failed to realise the disconnect between the Democrats and their traditional working class base.

In 2020, Biden made a virtue out of being “Scranton Joe”. He worked tirelessly to connect with the traditional working class voters in the industrial swing states. And Biden never shied away from championing his support for trade unions. For all the strengths of the Harris campaign, they lost sight of an important political fact. It’s the economy that is always the defining issue of elections and it’s living standards that matter most.

What does all this mean for Liberal Democrats here in the UK? Firstly, we will have to contend with a destructive protectionist and fascistic US President. Secondly, we will need to be on our guard for Trump apologists in our own country that may seek to take Britain down a similar destructive far-right path. But most importantly of all, we need to understand that if progressive liberalism cannot offer an alternative to the injustices faced by working class people, then far-right nationalism will. This is regardless of the consequences that such nationalism poses to liberal democracy. Liberals in Britain and around the world need to reconnect with working class voters.

If liberalism is not strong at ending the injustices that fuel fascism, then fascism will be strong at ending liberalism. Recall the words of the great liberal US President Franklin D Roosevelt, speaking in 1944:

“We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.”

Liberals need to be strong about confronting social hardships. We need to show working class voters and those people left behind by the economy of recent decades, that we are capable of improving their lives, and that we seek to build a democracy that represents them and works for them. We must offer a progressive anti-elitist politics, which is rooted in the liberal tradition, and that will work to offer an effective alternative to both far-right nationalism and far-left authoritarianism.

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Mark Hofman

COP29 Petition: The time has come to end fossil fuel advertising

By Mark Hofman | Sat 9th November 2024 - 11:00 am

Just over 50 years ago, the last cigarette commercial aired on American television. It marked the end of an era where tobacco companies could freely advertise their products despite knowing the devastating health effects they caused. Today, we face a similar watershed moment with fossil fuel advertising.

As world leaders gather in Azerbaijan for COP29, we should be stressing the parallels between Big Tobacco’s marketing tactics and those of the fossil fuel industry are striking. Both industries have spent decades promoting products they knew were harmful, while simultaneously casting doubt on scientific evidence. Both have used sophisticated marketing to associate their products with freedom, success, and adventure. And both have targeted younger generations to secure future customers.

The tobacco advertising ban has saved countless lives. Research shows that restricting tobacco advertising and sponsorships has been one of the most effective tools in reducing smoking rates, particularly among young people. Now, as we face a climate emergency, isn’t it time we apply the same logic to fossil fuel advertising?

The Science is Clear

The scientific consensus on climate change is overwhelming. Fossil fuels are the primary driver of global warming, leading to rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and the disruption of ecosystems. The consequences are already evident and will only worsen if we continue on this path.

When you see an SUV commercial showing a vehicle powering through a sleek city centre or a family’s home being kept toasty by a gas boiler, consider the irony: the very products are being advertised are contributing to that areas poor air quality, smog stained buildings and premature deaths. These advertisements normalise and glorify the use of fossil fuels at a time when we need to be rapidly transitioning away from them.

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Tom Arms

Observations of an ex pat: Moral compass discarded

By Tom Arms | Sat 9th November 2024 - 8:30 am

The world’s liberal democracies suffered a major defeat this week. Its autocracies have chalked up a major win.

Illiberal populist demagogues have for the past few years scored a series of outright victories, or, at least significant advances in the world’s democracies—Hungary, Israel, Georgia, Slovakia, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Sweden…. They have all swung their political barometers towards the far right.

And now, the biggest prize, the United States, has been secured by an angry misogynistic, racist, iconoclastic, divisive, narcissistic, nationalistic, vindictive, authoritarian, mercurial, dishonest, lying, corrupt convicted felon.

The impact of the re-election of Donald J. Trump will have a resounding impact on the world. It has already left a deep and damaging impression on America’s moral standing in the world.

In 1630, as the ship Arabella crossed the Atlantic towards the struggling Massachusetts Bay Colony, future colonial leader John Winthrop gave a sermon in which he expressed the hope that the colony would become a “Shining City on the Hill”—ie a moral example to the rest of the world.

That is how America has projected itself since before independence in 1776.  In reality manna has too often triumphed over morality. But through the centuries Americans have fervently clung to their shining self-image and many others around the world have bought into it—until now.

Americans are angry. On the domestic front they are angry at an amorphous “deep state” which has failed to deliver the perpetual prosperity they have come to expect. They are angry at the rest of the world for what they see as exploiting their better nature.

Americans are also scared. They are scared of losing their jobs to low-paid illegal immigrants. They are even more scared of losing their cultural identity. And on the international front, they are scared of being knocked off their plinth by the Chinese.

So Americans have elected an angry man who has successfully tapped into a rich political vein of fear. He will do well out of it. For a start, Donald J. Trump has avoided prison and will now undoubtedly use the presidency to augment his several billions.

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William Francis

Preparing for Trump Presidency Two Electric Boogaloo

By William Francis | Fri 8th November 2024 - 11:56 am

Many of us felt despondent at the results of the 2024 Presidential election. Bitterness, despair, disgust and fear. It is only natural given how the world’s most powerful country has elected a dangerous, destructive demagogue.

But it is not enough to fall into moral outrage. We must prepare for the coming storm and what could be an end to Atlanticism.

Liberalism has not faced a more powerful foe since the Cold War. The underpinnings of our national security strategy have been thrown into question. Our access to international markets has been thrown into doubt, undermining our prosperity. The threat of climate change has become even more menacing. Meanwhile, our politics threatens to be overrun reactionaries embolden by Trump’s example.

To be complacent is to invite economic, political, ecological and social ruin. To hope that fawning over Trump and his courtiers, in hope of being spared the worst of his mercurial nature, is a high-stakes gamble. Given Trump’s longstanding admiration of autocrats of their perceived strength, our best bet to project strength.

The good news is that we are not alone in this. Most of America’s many allies face the exact same dilemma. As Sir Ed Davey has said, its imperative that we rebuild our relationship with the EU and seek further integration. High tariffs on all our American exports will halve our anaemic and much need economic growth. Greater integration with the single market would offset some of effects of these tariffs, whilst giving us a stronger bargaining position with Trump over the incoming trade talks.

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Mo Waqas

Trump’s Election: A wake up call for Europe and Britain

By Mo Waqas | Fri 8th November 2024 - 9:48 am

The recent election of Donald Trump as President of the United States marks a pivotal shift in the transatlantic alliance, forcing Europe to reassess its position on defence, economic policy, and international relations. For Great Britain, the European Union, and NATO allies, Trump’s presidency presents both immediate and long-term challenges. His ambivalence toward NATO’s traditional role, compounded by isolationist and protectionist policies, signals a tectonic change in the foundation of post-World War II alliances. With Trump back in office, Europe must adopt a more strategic, coordinated, and self-reliant approach to ensure regional stability and security.

Trump’s stance on NATO introduces real uncertainty into Europe’s defence calculus. Historically, NATO has underpinned European security, offering a powerful deterrent against aggressors like Russia. However, Trump’s prior remarks about “free-riding” by European nations and his willingness to reconsider U.S. commitments cast doubt on the assumption that the U.S. will always be the principal guarantor of European security. This is particularly concerning as Russia’s actions in Ukraine demonstrate the enduring risk of territorial aggression on the continent. Europe, therefore, faces a strategic imperative to assume a larger share of its defence burden, fortify its military capabilities, and reinforce collective defence mechanisms.

The European Union and NATO must now confront their limitations in readiness, force projection, and rapid response capability. While NATO’s Article 5 provides a mutual defence framework, its effectiveness is compromised if member states lack interoperability and standardized response capabilities. Thus, Europe’s emphasis must shift toward enhancing interoperability among its forces, modernizing its military infrastructure, and bolstering cybersecurity defences. Major urban centres like Milan, Geneva, Krakow, Berlin, and London must be prepared to withstand a range of threats, from cyber incursions to hybrid warfare and missile strikes. Europe’s major powers, particularly Germany and France, need to accelerate their defence spending and expand joint military exercises to build a resilient and autonomous defence posture.

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Michal Siewniak

Why Poland is the place to be/ place to go to?

By Michal Siewniak | Thu 7th November 2024 - 3:27 pm

I remember it really, really well. No more queues to buy basic ingredients, regular visits to the Police station, inability to travel to countries outside of the Iron Curtain. Late 1980’s and beginning of 1990’s in the Eastern Europe and Poland have seen a seismic political and economic transformation, which included first free elections,

As a teenager, through my church community, in the middle of 1990’s, I was lucky enough to visit Italy on a few occasions. My deep desire to move around was so strong! Yes, our passports had to be checked at each border, however visiting some of the world landmarks was truly beyond extraordinary. On the other hand, I also felt a bit of resentment and “human jealousy”. After many years of oppression, stagnation, Poland was re-starting its journey towards prosperity. We had so much catching-up to do. It did feel at times like a mission impossible. Despite some difficult “post Berlin Wall beginnings”, I always felt very proud to be Polish.

In 2001, I left Poland for Croatia, where I had an opportunity to start my MA in History. After completing my University and after getting married, we moved to Italy and then eventually to the United Kingdom.

Since settling in Britain in 2005, I have been frequently traveling to Poland. Sometimes, you need to look back at the journey of your nation, the grief, suffering and sacrifice of many, to appreciate even more the positive transformation, some superb outcomes in my homeland. People often ask, what are the key ingredients of the Polish story?

I think that we often forget that Poland is the sixth economy in the EU. It is the 5th most populous country in the EU and 9th largest country in Europe. Moreover, the Polish GDP growth is expected to be around 3.1% in 2024, whereas in the UK only around 1.1%. Poland, for a number of years now, has been the biggest beneficiary nation of the EU funds, which in my view, have been wisely spent on key infrastructure projects. Something unimaginable 30 years ago e.g. motorway drive across Poland from Lublin to Wroclaw, is now a reality.

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Zoe Swanwick

The Independent View: “The Rising Price of Freedom”

By Zoe Swanwick | Thu 7th November 2024 - 12:44 pm

In 2011, Paddy Ashdown made a critical observation:

We are all now deeply, deeply, deeply interconnected… the idea of a nation state acting alone, not connected with others, not working with others, is no longer a viable proposition. Because the actions of a nation state are neither confined to itself, nor is it sufficient for the nation state itself to control its own territory, because the effects outside the nation state are now beginning to affect what happens inside them.

This led Ashdown to a deep commitment to multilateral cooperation, one which is at the heart of Liberal Democrat values—liberty, equality, democracy, community, human rights, internationalism, and environmentalism. Liberal internationalism, rooted in these values, has shaped the party’s support for open markets, cooperative security, and strong global institutions. It’s no surprise, then, that the Liberal Democrats remain steadfast advocates for EU membership and a proactive global role for the UK.

This liberal internationalist outlook has defined the Liberal Democrats for generations, and with 72 MPs in Parliament, it’s time to drive a more active, collaborative UK foreign policy.

As Labour unveiled its first Autumn Statement this year, however, the UK’s foreign policy prospects look bleak.

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Ken Westmoreland

Don’t blame us for Trump

By Ken Westmoreland | Thu 7th November 2024 - 11:04 am

A friend of mine in Florida, who only recently became an American decades after marrying one, cast her vote for Kamala Harris early, to keep Donald Trump (or the ‘orange stain’, as she calls him) out of the White House. However, four million US nationals will have had no say in the matter; while all US citizens are nationals, not all US nationals are citizens, disenfranchising them further.

When Trump-supporting comedian Tony Hinchcliffe described Puerto Rico as ‘a floating island of garbage’, it was a particularly low blow given that its residents have no vote in the presidential election, despite being US citizens, and its only representation in Congress is a non-voting Resident Commissioner in the House of Representatives, with none in the Senate.

Historically, before being admitted to the Union, many states, then territories, elected non-voting delegates to the House as a first step to achieving statehood, but since Hawaii in 1959, no territory has been admitted. Puerto Rico, the most populous of them, is divided on the issue, with some favouring statehood, others independence, and others the status quo, while in the US itself, Republicans are lukewarm, dreading an increased number of Democrats on Capitol Hill.

In my innocence, I thought that the reason for this limited political representation was because Puerto Rico, along with the US Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Marianas and American Samoa, was because they weren’t subject to federal taxes, a case of no representation without taxation, but there are more unsavoury reasons, hence them being ‘foreign in a domestic sense’.

When most of them were acquired following the Spanish-American War, there was a Supreme Court ruling that they were inhabited by ‘alien races’ unable to be governed by ‘Anglo-Saxon principles’, and therefore the Constitution didn’t have to apply there, and by extension, nor did voting rights. Despite only being supposed to apply ‘for a time’, it does so to this day, having been extended to the formerly Danish US Virgin Islands, the formerly German American Samoa, and the Japanese Northern Marianas, which only have non-voting delegates in Congress.

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Andy Daer

There are ways to achieve peace in the Middle East

By Andy Daer | Thu 7th November 2024 - 9:33 am

Many Israelis think they face ‘annihilation’ by Iran and their proxies, and that this means their wars in Gaza and Lebanon fall outside the boundaries set by the international rules of war.  The fear of annihilation didn’t come out of nowhere, but although there has been some fiery rhetoric about Israel’s right to exist over the years, Iran doesn’t seriously believe it could destroy Israel, especially given that it’s backed by the US.  The ‘existential’ distress Israelis feel is more likely an expression of the deep insecurity affecting many Jews around the world, and it originates not from their treatment by Arabs or Iranians, but from centuries of racial abuse and persecution in Europe.  Understanding and accepting this as the underlying cause of the unrestrained assaults on Gaza and Lebanon ought to be fundamental to the peace process.

As things stand, Israel’s Prime Minister won’t listen to calls for restraint, even from the UN or international courts, not because he is mad, or is fighting to stave off corruption charges, or is bent on destroying hopes for a two-state solution, but because he knows that many Israelis think they are in fight for their survival, which on their view means all the normal rules go out of the window.

The fear of annihilation touches a deep place in the human psyche.  When psychoanalysts discuss the war in Gaza they speak of paranoia brought on by Israelis never being allowed to forget the Holocaust, and how that can make them seek refuge in feelings of omnipotence.  The feeling of omnipotence is a delusional state of mind, but it must have been a very seductive delusion to fall back on after the  horrific Hamas attack on October 7 last year.

Most outside observers judge the Israeli response to the threat from Hamas as having been wildly disproportionate, and think it has strayed far beyond its initial purpose – retaliation (or perhaps revenge) for the killing of so many Israeli civilians.  To most of us it’s clear that Netanyahu could end the war in Gaza and Lebanon and get the remaining hostages back simply by giving up on the idea of an enlarged ‘Greater Israel’ and conceding that the Palestinians have a right to their homeland in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.  Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah have all said as much – that they would stop attacking Israel if it agreed to end the Occupation.  Jordan’s envoy to the UN has gone further and said the Arab states of the Middle East would guarantee Israel’s security if it ended the bombardment of Gaza and backed the two-state solution.

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Lord William Wallace

Defending Liberalism in a Trumpian world

By Lord William Wallace | Wed 6th November 2024 - 6:36 pm

World politics is going to be rough in the next few years – and British politics will be increasingly difficult, too.  Trump’s victory means that the USA’s role in global affairs will be highly unpredictable.  But we can predict that American influence will not be constructive on a range of global issues, from combatting climate change to managing the world economy and containing conflicts, and is unlikely to be affected by consideration for British or European concerns.  So how do we respond?

Ed Davey’s first response to Trump’s victory was spot on.  We need to defend and promote liberal values and prioritise rebuilding closer relations with our European neighbours.  Neither of those are easy.  Illiberal movements are gaining ground in many democratic countries, including within the EU.  Liberal democracy gains most support when economies are growing, societies are stable and international relations are peaceful.  Even without the added complications of an incoherent and unfriendly US Administration, the challenges of preventing catastrophic climate change, of coping with the mass movement of people that climate change and regional conflicts are already driving, of moving towards a sustainable global economy and resisting Chinese and Russian expansionism would be hard to manage – and harder to persuade the British electorate to share the cost.

There will no doubt be a flood of analyses of why a majority of American voters supported Trump.  But discontent at the economic and social disruption of their lives, and disillusion with the ‘elites’ who – as they see it – allowed disruptive change to sweep from outside through their communities, were major factors.  Those discontents are widespread in Britain as well.  The ‘left behind’ in northern and coastal towns feel similarly abandoned by educated elites and multinational corporations.  You Gov tracker polls show that the answer to the question ‘Are members of Parliament in touch with the public or not?’ has consistently shown around 70% answering ‘out of touch’ and 10-12% ‘in touch’ over the past five years.  Those in the Brexit Referendum who were saying ‘I want my country back’ were expressing a similar sense of loss to Trump supporters who want to ‘Make America Great Again.’

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Paul Walter

The lamp beside the golden door has dimmed a little

By Paul Walter | Wed 6th November 2024 - 8:35 am

After a surprisingly good sleep, I’ve woken up. I’ve done a quick review of the latest on CNN and the web.

Then I switched over to an excellent BBC documentary called “Scotland – The New Wild”. It is remarkable. It has some excellent footage of basking sharks.

In the past, I have looked to USA for vicarious inspiration. While UK domestic politics has been rather depressing, USA has provided a refreshing relief – some
inkling of a better approach for civic life.

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Paul Walter

Pennsylvania exit polls suggest a different climate than in the south

By Paul Walter | Wed 6th November 2024 - 12:54 am

The CNN exit polls for Pennsylvania show higher responses for voters being concerned about reproductive rights and the state of democracy, compared to the numbers in Georgia and North Carolina.

Indications are that Philadelphia has seen higher than expected turnout, particularly in areas with high populations of those of Puerto Rican heritage.

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Paul Walter

First results not encouraging for Harris

By Paul Walter | Wed 6th November 2024 - 12:19 am

I’m watching Election night on CNN, which provides a very pithy, statistical coverage of the results.

My first takeaways are not encouraging for Kamala Harris. Mind you we are very short of tea leaves to read so far.

A Florida county which Biden won by several points is showing Harris trailing Biden’s number.

In Georgia, it’s very early in the counting process. Independents, which make up 31% of the electorate, are going clearly for Trump, whereas Biden won the independents in 2020.

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Paul Walter

Kemi Badenoch starts in denial about partygate

By Paul Walter | Tue 5th November 2024 - 11:30 am

Embed from Getty Images

It is very encouraging to see a black woman leading a British political party for the first time. However, the Guardian reports on Kemi Badenoch’s initial interview as leader, on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme:

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Paul Walter

US election – be ready for a long wait

By Paul Walter | Tue 5th November 2024 - 8:15 am

Liberal Democrat Voice will be covering the US election results tonight and during subsequent days, giving you the chance to add your comments as the results unfold.

Concerning the US presidential and congressional elections, there are two things I can be relatively sure of:

1. The initial vote counts (because unlike the UK, the USA vote counts are released on the web as they are counted and before a state result) are likely to show that Trump is winning. This is because the postal votes (or “absentee ballots”) are generally counted after election day ballots, and they tend to favour the Democrats. Conversely, electyion day ballots tend to favour the Republicans. So the election day ballots, which tend to be counted first, could show Trump ahead.

2. Donald Trump will come out very early, perhaps as early as an hour after polls close, and declare that he has won, and say that if the count shows that he has lost then there has been Democrat fiddling with the results. Worryingly, this sets the scene for potential street violence.

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Christine Morrissey

Care Leaver Status as a Protected Characteristic

By Christine Morrissey | Mon 4th November 2024 - 3:01 pm

Following recommendations from the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care headed by Josh McCallister of the Local Government Association, our Corporate Parent Advisory Committee (CPAC) decided to raise the issue of care experience in Newcastle, and were grateful for the original lead by the Redcar and Cleveland Lib Dem Group, which we adopted to present as a Cross Party Motion to full Council on 2 October.

Making care experience a protected characteristic is a National Issue which broadens corporate parenting responsibilities across a wider set of public bodies and organisations. It could motivate employers, businesses, public services, and policy makers to develop policies and programmes promoting better outcomes for care experienced people. It would also make the UK the first country in the world to recognise care experienced people in this way.

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Stephen Harte

Janey Godley’s passing and lessons in political tribalism

By Stephen Harte | Mon 4th November 2024 - 11:25 am

As many readers will have seen in mainstream and social media, we lost the much loved Scottish comedian Janey Godley to cancer on Saturday (2 November 2024). Janey has been open on social media about her struggles with cancer and everyone knew that she was in her final days. Across public life in Scotland and the wider UK, figures from the world of entertainment and politics were quick to post glowing, and very fitting, tributes.

Many ordinary people posted tributes to social media too. I was one of them. In posting to Twitter (it will always be Twitter even after Musk finally forces me to give up using it), I noticed that I was quick to point out that that our “politics didn’t always coincide”. While true, I have been thinking since why I felt it necessary to use this form of words.

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