Category Archives: Op-eds

Mark Whiley

Opinion: Stand firm on tuition fees

By Mark Whiley | Fri 14th May 2010 - 1:50 pm

For every vote and every candidate up and down the country that signed the pledge on behalf of the National Union of Students, may I please put this to you – at the Emergency Conference on Sunday, oppose the provision in the coalition agreement which prevents us from voting on the outcome of the Lord Browne review on Higher Education Fees.

As a Party we have consistently been the only party to talk about fees, let alone come up with a costed policy for replacement of the present system where many graduates leave with thousands of pounds of debt. Students …

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Tagged , and | 28 Comments

Opinion: Justifying the unthinkable

By Kelvin Macdonald Fraser | Fri 14th May 2010 - 12:00 pm

Like all Liberal Democrats, I would never support a Tory government. Most of us have spent many years asking countless people to vote Lib Dem to “keep the Tories out”, but I actually think that’s exactly what we’ve done.

Without the Liberal Democrats the Tories would have a majority now. So many Lib Dems seats are Tory/Lib Dem fights, and it’s because the Lib Dem vote held up in places like the South West that Mr. Cameron did not get the majority he needed to enable him to go ahead with the sort of traditional Tory policies that were in his …

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Steve Cooke

Opinion: We do not belong to Labour!

By Steve Cooke | Fri 14th May 2010 - 10:45 am

Across Britain on May 6th people voted for the Liberal Democrats because they liked our policies, or they liked our values. Some voted for us because we were not ‘the other lot’. No doubt a goodly number voted Lib Dem because they felt (quite rightly) the party they truly wanted to vote for – the Labour Party – has lost its heart and lost its soul. People voted for us hoping, but never ever expecting they’d get a Liberal Democrat government.

After the votes came in it was clear that the Conservatives had won the election, but without a big …

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Tagged and | 46 Comments
Iain Roberts

Lib Dems should get used to constant attacks and scrutiny

By Iain Roberts | Fri 14th May 2010 - 8:27 am

One of the joys of being in government is being hated. Thatcher and Blair were both attacked daily by large numbers of people when they were in power (at times I was one of them) – though of course neither ever lost a General Election.

In contrast, being in opposition tends to be easier – people may disagree with you, but it’s not you making the hard decisions, from which there are inevitably losers as well as winners.

For the Lib Dems it’s going to take some getting used to. Our fate has more often to be ignored than hated. …

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45 Comments
Richard Davis

Opinion: The death of partisan politics?

By Richard Davis | Thu 13th May 2010 - 4:20 pm

I think people need to look a little more objectively and put an end to the partisan “we hate the Tories” or “we hate Labour” that I am hearing all the time. It makes us look ridiculous and is the main reason that the average person has come to distrust and ultimately hate the political system we currently have. What we have seen over the last few days is actually a huge leap forwards, when two parties which are so fundamentally opposed can come together and find common ground to try to do the best for the country in what …

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66 Comments
James Elsdon-Baker

Opinion: Securing civil liberties

By James Elsdon-Baker | Thu 13th May 2010 - 2:20 pm

Along with other civil libertarians I’ve dedicated my time to fighting off Labour’s encroachments on our freedoms and liberty. This struggle has found me working with traditional Labour members, Greens, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives; everyone from anti-corporate Libertarian Socialist to Euro-sceptic UKIP activists. People of all tribal loyalties and ideological outlooks have come together in non-partisan campaigns like NO2ID, and events like the convention on modern liberty. Not because they have sought to make their ideological explanation of why our liberties have been encroached the dominant one, but because they realised achieving a shared goal required finding the common ground …

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Tagged and | 13 Comments
Malcolm Wood

Opinion: Inheriting Tory Tax Plans

By Malcolm Wood | Thu 13th May 2010 - 11:20 am

Nobody likes paying tax. But most of us accept the necessity of paying collectively for public services, and the moral obligation on those of us with good incomes to subsidise these services for those without. Most of us would also accept that, in times of serious budget deficit, any adjustments to the tax system should be made in favour of those who are, firstly, of the most limited means, and, secondly, alive.

It’s easy to make inheritance tax sound unfair. Just describe it as “double taxation”; a second tax on income which has already been taxed. But …

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Tagged | 8 Comments
Chris Jones

Opinion: I’ve joined the Liberal Democrats

By Chris Jones | Wed 12th May 2010 - 8:17 pm

Last night I watched as the helicopter above central London followed and filmed the new Prime Minister David Cameron’s car as it drove from Buckingham Palace back to Downing Street. I watched as Mr. Cameron arrived at number 10, made a speech outlining the difficulties and challenges that were ahead for the country and announced a formal coalition with the Lib Dems. I watched as he walked into his new home, the door opened by an unseen minion as always, turned, waved and crossed the threshold into a new era for British politics. As I watched I was at the same …

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149 Comments
Stephen Tall

The upsides and downsides for Labour of the Lib-Con deal

By Stephen Tall | Wed 12th May 2010 - 6:45 pm

The decision by many Labour MPs during Tuesday to kaibosh any kind of ‘progressive alliance’ deal with the Lib Dems was doubtless motivated by many reasons: some good, some bad.

I’m sure some Labour MPs genuinely felt that, after 13 years of government, and having crashed to their heaviest election defeat in a generation, their party requires a spell in opposition to re-group and refresh. That’s a perfectly understandable and respectable position to hold.

Equally, it’s clear there were those motivated by less pure instincts. For some – the tribal partisans who cleave to the view Labour is always right …

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45 Comments
Helen Duffett

Where’s the coalition of the sexes?

By Helen Duffett | Wed 12th May 2010 - 6:22 pm

With most of the key cabinet posts now announced, and other positions coming at a trickle, the new government so far looks overwhelmingly male.

The exceptions so far are Theresa May (Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality) and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi (Conservative Party Chairman). Reports of a role for Caroline Flint are unconfirmed.

There’s been no word yet about any of the talented female Liberal Democrat MPs being offered a role in the new government. However, I can’t help noticing a correlation with the Lib Dem (all male) negotiating team, with all but Andrew Stunell getting cabinet posts.

I …

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Tagged , , , and | 11 Comments
Stephen Tall

I disagreed with Nick. And I was wrong. Maybe.

By Stephen Tall | Wed 12th May 2010 - 11:15 am

It’s two months since I wrote a post here on Lib Dem Voice with the self-explanatory title: 5 reasons Nick Clegg should rule out a coalition now. It’s interesting in the light of the last 24 hours to re-visit my reason number one: “A coalition is a non-starter, so let’s just rule it out now”.

So what’s changed?

The electorate have spoken

Well, the most obvious issue is the election result itself. The voters have spoken, and been quite clear that they don’t trust any one of the parties to govern the country alone. That in itself should give any …

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67 Comments
Ed Maxfield

Opinion: A moment of transformation?

By Ed Maxfield | Wed 12th May 2010 - 9:50 am

My family are a difficult bunch to please. This weekend my mother threatened to give up on the Lib Dems if Nick Clegg kept Gordon Brown in power and my sister threatened to move to Greece if he did a deal with the Tories.

Me? I’ve been fighting the Tories all my adult life, but I’ve been working to get Lib Dems into government all that time too. I am immensely proud and excited that Nick Clegg is Deputy Prime Minister (pinch me!) But I also understand the anguish and pain felt by many in the party. After fifty years …

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Tagged and | 55 Comments
Iain Roberts

Welcome to the new politics – risks and all

By Iain Roberts | Wed 12th May 2010 - 8:27 am

A few months ago we were waiting for David Cameron’s stately procession to 10 Downing Street as leader of yet another majority Conservative government. No point voting Lib Dem, we were told – they had no chance of getting power and putting their policies into practice.

And yet here we are, with a Lib/Con coalition after Labour decided they preferred to be in opposition. Those who voted Lib Dem look like they will get Lib Dem policies put into law. Not all of them, but a surprising number of the important ones.

Is it risky? Hell, yes. …

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Tagged and | 62 Comments
George Kendall

Opinion: Beware Mandelson bearing gifts

By George Kendall | Tue 11th May 2010 - 1:09 pm

The airwaves are full of siren voices: Ben Bradshaw calls for “a progressive coalition”, Peter Hain for “a new voting system, a new second chamber, a fixed term parliament”, the Prime Minister resigns to make a deal possible.

It’s heady stuff for a Liberal Democrat, so why isn’t Clegg beating down the door of number 10?

Years back I was newly elected to a hung council. The 25 Tories had gone into opposition, so we 24 Lib Dems tried to form a coalition with seven independents, themselves split into three small groups.

The Tories confidently predicted we’d fall apart in …

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32 Comments
Mark Pack

Will it have been a case of “Vote Labour, get Cameron”?

By Mark Pack | Tue 11th May 2010 - 12:53 pm

Having said yesterday that Labour needs to seriously up its game if it wants to woo the Liberal Democrats, Gordon Brown most certainly did that. It’s clear also that many in the Labour Party are willing to consider a major offer that would include very substantial electoral reform. Many, but by no means all – which brings us to the irony of the situation.

Although Labour campaigned in many areas on the claim “Vote Lib Dem, get Cameron”, many in Labour are now willing to make it a case of “Vote Labour, get Cameron”. They are willing to see Cameron …

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20 Comments

Opinion: Lib Dems can make government work

By Eoin O'Malley | Mon 10th May 2010 - 8:45 pm

The recent election must have been a major disappointment to the Liberal Democrats – but that doesn’t matter because they have the ‘whip-hand’ in government formation. The party has ‘walk-away value’.

If they don’t like a deal with the Conservatives they have other options (Labour & LibDems, with SDLP and Alliance brings you to 320). The Tories on the other hand don’t really have other palatable options other than a minority administration, which Cameron has already indicated he doesn’t prefer. This makes the Lib Dems (despite their size) much stronger than any other party. This is akin to the position …

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Also posted in The Independent View | 49 Comments
Mark Pack

A day to be proud of our party

By Mark Pack | Mon 10th May 2010 - 5:49 pm

Whatever final deal is negotiated, it won’t contain everything Liberal Democrats will want. It will involve some major compromises – and so it should in a democracy, given that we didn’t win a majority or the most seats.

But from what we’ve seen today and over the weekend, Liberal Democrats should be proud of just how well our negotiating team is working on our behalf.

They have a tough job – the issue that many members hold most dear (electoral reform) is also the one that it is hardest to win concessions on from from the Conservatives and is the one on …

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78 Comments
Ed Randall

Opinion: The British electorate did not speak with one voice – but we must

By Ed Randall | Mon 10th May 2010 - 4:00 pm

The British electorate has spoken!

On Thursday, and (given the numbers of postal votes cast in the 2010 General Election) for many days before, the British electorate ‘spoke’. But it didn’t speak with one voice.

For decades our electoral system has suppressed dissent and aided those who dismiss fundamental disagreements as ill-considered discontents. First past the post in UK parliamentary elections has been a variant on Henry Ford’s famous maxim – you can have any colour, providing it’s black.

But the British electorate isn’t made up of post box red or royal blue electors. It has been multi-coloured for a long time …

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12 Comments
Mark Pack

How not to woo the Liberal Democrats, lesson no.94

By Mark Pack | Mon 10th May 2010 - 12:27 pm

A Guardian story shows perfectly how badly the Labour Party is approaching the question of trying to persuade Liberal Democrats that a deal should be done with it:

One of the most enthusiastic proponents of electoral reform in the Labour cabinet argued: “The Liberals have got to realise two things. First, the chances of winning a referendum with a Cameron-led government are minimal. Labour will sit on its hands, the media will be against, and so will the Tory party.

“Secondly, the Lib Dems have to realise they cannot have anything more than the alternative vote – if they ask for

…

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39 Comments
Antony Hook

Opinion: The linked vote shares of UKIP and the BNP

By Antony Hook | Mon 10th May 2010 - 11:20 am

The 2010 General Election was a failure for Britain’s two openly xenophobic parties.

UKIP stood in 556 constituencies and lost their deposit in 459 (83%). Their vote share varied between 0.65 and Nigel Farage’s 17.3 in Buckingham where none of the three main parties contested the Speaker’s seat. No other UKIP candidate hit double digits.

The average vote share per UKIP candidate was 3.54.

The BNP stood in 338 constituencies and lost their deposit in 267 (80%). Their vote share varied between 0.4 and Nick Griffin’s 14.6 in Barking. Only two other BNP candidates hit double digits.

Eight out UKIP’s …

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Also posted in General Election | Tagged and | 15 Comments
Simon Read

Opinion: Proportional voting

By Simon Read | Mon 10th May 2010 - 9:20 am

I propose a method of voting in the House of Commons which has the effect of proportional representation without any of the complexity.

There are two possible sacred principles in British democracy:

1) A Member of Parliament has one vote;
2) A party’s voting strength in the house should match its share of the countrywide vote.

Each principle has its adherents. Principle (1) seems to be assumed by everyone but never mentioned.

These principles are in fact contradictory, leading to much complexity, so I propose to abandon principle (1) above, leaving us with principle (2).

The mechanism is simple: take the number of votes cast at …

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Tagged | 38 Comments
Mark Pack

It’s administrative blunders, not fraud, which should worry us most

By Mark Pack | Sun 9th May 2010 - 9:12 pm

The problems with electoral administration ranged far wider than those which caught the headlines. Perhaps the weirdest came in one polling station in Burnley where the caretaker was getting everyone turning up to vote to sign in and out of the building “for health and safety” reasons.

More seriously, there were queues of people left wanting to vote when the polls closed at 10pm last Thursday in Birmingham, Chester, Hackney, Islington, Leeds, Lewisham, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Weybridge. (If you were a voter caught up in these problems, the Electoral Commission wants to hear from you as part of …

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Also posted in Election law and Online politics | Tagged and | 10 Comments
Nigel Roberts

Opinion: Fair votes are in our blood

By Nigel Roberts | Sun 9th May 2010 - 5:50 pm

Dear Nick,

As a Founder Member of the Liberal Democrats who was a member of one of the predecessor parties from 1982 onwards it seems to me that the historic time that we have all been waiting for since that date has arrived.

In your Personal Guarantee you said you would use the votes you would be given in order to deliver among other things, Fair Votes. I was therefore honoured to be able to come back to the UK mainland to help in a very small way this election.

I know Fair Votes are in your blood, like nearly all of us.

But …

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49 Comments
Simon Dodd

Opinion: The imperative for any agreement to include electoral reform

By Simon Dodd | Sun 9th May 2010 - 4:50 pm

It is imperative that any agreement with any political parties following the election includes electoral reform. On Thursday, the electorate of this country voted for a hung parliament, showing that there was no clear majority supporting one party. The voice of the electorate needs to be listened too and not ignored.

The Liberal Democrats cannot offer a blank cheque to prop up a Conservative administration.

The Conservatives have offered an inquiry into electoral reform. However, the inquiry was held on Thursday. The election showed the need for electoral reform. It is well known that under the current …

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21 Comments
Stephen Tall

Did Labour lose the battle and win the war?

By Stephen Tall | Sun 9th May 2010 - 3:20 pm

Only one of the three major parties emerged from this election with fewer votes than in 2005 and with a lower share of the vote: the Labour party.

In 2005, Tony Blair polled 9,562,122 (35.3%). In 2010, Gordon Brown polled 8,604,358 (29.0%). By contrast the Lib Dems went up from 5,981,874 (22.1%) to 6,827,938 (23.0%), and the Tories up from 8,772,598 (32.3%) to 10,706,647 (36.1%).

The figures do not lie: the Labour party lost this election.

But (and I’m afraid it’s a big but), they retained second place, some 6% and almost two million votes ahead of the Lib Dems. For …

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33 Comments
Tony Greaves

Opinion: Post-election blues

By Tony Greaves | Sat 8th May 2010 - 9:03 pm

This is the worst possible election result for Liberal Democrats but we have to make the best of it.

A majority for one party would have left us in our usual comfort zone of simple opposition.

The expected gain of 40 seats or more would have left us with real momentum and a genuine balance of power in the Commons – the chance to turn the screw in negotiations with the other two parties and act as the catalyst for substantial political reform including STV.

Even a Lib-Lab majority in the Commons, with no Lib-Con majority, would have provided the chance (and the …

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52 Comments
Chris White

Opinion: Did you see it coming?

By Chris White | Sat 8th May 2010 - 4:20 pm

Did you see it coming?

No-one likes someone who says ‘I told you so’.

But I did see it coming.

I remember the bubble bursting in 1992. I recall the way so many people who had wished me luck the previous weekend went into the polling booth and said ‘Nah. It’s cheaper to vote Tory’.

I was also acutely aware this year that the vast majority of activists believed that the surge would be sustained and that the targeting strategy was now irrelevant. The ‘five people smiled at me this morning so I think I can win’ phone call was too frequent.

Had parliamentary candidates …

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30 Comments
Ben Stephenson

Opinion: A Letter to Nick Clegg

By Ben Stephenson | Sat 8th May 2010 - 3:45 pm

Dear Nick,

Don’t give away the family silver. Since the formation of the Liberal Party all those years ago, we’ve campaigned for massive overhaul and clear change to the way in which are governments are appointed. Throughout a raft of changes in policy on education, defence, welfare and the economy, the one steadfast within the party has always been that with a quarter of the votes returning ten percent of the seats, the election system in our country simply does not work.

To discuss the notion of a coalition government with the Conservative Party, a party at whose core lies the belief …

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76 Comments
Terry Gilbert

Opinion: Is there grand gesture to reform which would make coalition with the Tories acceptable?

By Terry Gilbert | Sat 8th May 2010 - 2:45 pm

I am not someone you might expect to back a deal with the Tories. I come from a traditional Labour-voting background, and I am more suspicious of the Tories, and their motives, than many in our party.

But while this makes me cautious – almost to the point of paranoia – about a deal with Cameron’s Tories to form a majority coalition in the new Parliament, it does not make me rule it out altogether. The Parliamentary arithmetic alone – the lack of a majority for a Lib/Lab pact – and Labour’s internal division over voting reform means it deserves serious …

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48 Comments
Anthony Tuffin

Opinion: They’re bidding for Lib Dem support!

By Anthony Tuffin | Sat 8th May 2010 - 11:20 am

Let’s get the most we can – especially on voting reform!

The Tories say, quite rightly, that Labour (about 29% of the votes) and Lib Dems (about 23%) lost the election but then they go on to claim they won with only about 36% (just over one in three)!

The fact is that the public decided collectively that it did not trust any one party to govern.

In terms of votes any two of the three main parties has a moral right to govern by coalition. It is nonsense to say that a Labour/Lib Dem coalition has no right to form …

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36 Comments
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