Category Archives: Party policy and internal matters

Anything to do with Lib Dem internal business, including policy development, consultations, rules and constitutions.

Duncan Brack

Federal Policy Committee report, 21 March 2018

By Duncan Brack | Mon 26th March 2018 - 10:47 am

FPC met for three hours on the evening of 21 March. The first item on the agenda was a discussion with the Leader; Vince is chair of the FPC, but inevitably his parliamentary and party duties mean he can’t attend every meeting, so we were pleased to have this opportunity. He updated us on three separate pieces of work under way on aspects of tax policy: on business tax, on the prospects for land value tax, and on options for a wealth tax. He hopes to be able to publish short ‘spokesperson’s papers’ on all of these and submit motions …

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Nick Harvey

Changes to payment for Connect and Salesforce

By Nick Harvey | Thu 15th March 2018 - 12:45 pm

Since becoming Chief Executive, I am trying to streamline our operations and cut out unnecessary waste.  With limited resources, we need to be agile and dynamic, to simplify processes and maximise the time, money and effort we devote to campaigning.

Currently, local parties are either invoiced or debited for Connect and Salesforce. Processing all this and then chasing it up involves significant staff time and pointless bureaucracy.

Worse still, there are grotesque and unjustifiable anomalies in the sums that local parties, both large and small, are paying for these digital

…

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NewsHound

Jess Insall’s clarion call for gender-neutral school uniforms

By NewsHound | Mon 12th March 2018 - 2:53 pm

Given that there has been some comment about this policy proposal in the media and in some Liberal Democrat circles, it seemed like a good idea to publish Jess’s speech to Party Conference this weekend by way of answering some of the sceptics…

Thank you Chair, thank you Conference.

I am bursting for positive change. As a feminist, as an LGBTQ+ rights activist, and as a liberal democrat.

And we are making so many positive changes, but our schools are being caught short. There is one problem that causes so much harm, but is so

…

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Mark Valladares

Macdonald Report goes back for a rethink – a member of the English Appeals Panel reflects

By Mark Valladares | Mon 12th March 2018 - 8:15 am

The news that the Macdonald Report, and its allied recommendations, had been narrowly referred back came as something of a surprise, as least to this observer. The ground is normally pretty well prepared for changes like this, and whilst the debate about the Party’s internal disciplinary procedures has been going on for some time now, there appeared to be agreement that something needed to be done. And whilst that possibility isn’t ruled out – yet – there must be some doubt as to whether the proposals will, even if amended, be accepted by a Federal Conference at some future date.

Having …

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Merlene Emerson

Inaugural meeting of the Race Equality Policy Working Group

By Merlene Emerson | Thu 15th February 2018 - 12:45 pm

On 13 February, eve of Valentine’s Day, members of the Race Equality Policy Working Group met for the first time at LDHQ. I mention Valentine’s Day because this is very much a labour of love for those of us who have volunteered to assist the Party in its policy making on this important subject.

The first meeting was also timely for another reason: it follows the issue last week of Lord Alderdice’s report on Race, Ethnic Minorities and the culture of the Liberal Democrats and an email from our leader, Vince Cable MP, calling on each and every member to …

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Land Value Tax – Where are we as a party?

By Joe Bourke | Sat 10th February 2018 - 11:30 am

ALTER will address this question in our conference fringe at Southport next month to be held on Friday, 9th March at the Ramada Plaza, from 20:15 to 21:30 in the Promenade room.

Leading the discussion will be two LVT experts and experienced Liberal Democrat campaigners – Michael Meadowcroft and Tony Vickers.

All mainstream parties are now beginning to address the Land problem in the context of an ever worsening housing crisis. The Chancellor announced a raft of measures in the last budget including the Letwin review that is to be informed by a number of consultations.

Among these consultations, the Communities and Local Government Committee (CLG) are conducting an inquiry into the effectiveness of current land value capture methods and the need for new ways of capturing any uplift in the value of land associated with the granting of planning permission or nearby infrastructure improvements and other factors . ALTER’s submission will argue that attempts to capture uplifts in land values by one-off levies have largely been unsuccessful and that an alternative is to go for annual levies as with a site value rating.

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Zoe O’Connell

Federal Conference Committee report – January 2018

By Zoe O’Connell | Mon 29th January 2018 - 4:34 pm

Just over a week ago, Federal Conference Committee met at LibDem HQ to set the Agenda for Southport in March, now just under six weeks away.

It is always tough to sort through the many worthy motions that are submitted, but on this occasion the job was even harder – the snap election last year delayed some policy papers back so we have very limited time to debate non-policy-paper motions. We also had an increased number of motions submitted, 34, compared to 26 this time last year.

Unfortunately, that lack of time is likely to spill over into Autumn too with more …

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Merlene Emerson

Post-Christmas musings on the R word

By Merlene Emerson | Thu 28th December 2017 - 1:30 pm

The Queen has in her Christmas speech welcomed new members into the royal family in 2018.

Prince Harry will soon have a mother-in-law who is African American and the young couple’s future children will be of mixed race heritage. The society pages lap up the fairy-tale love story and we all cheer ourselves on how liberal we have become as a nation.

Vogue Magazine has a new editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, and we can’t help but notice the change in the complexion of many of the supermodels that grace the glossy pages. Sir Mo Farrah has not only been knighted but has also …

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Liz Leffman

A way forward for the English Party

By Liz Leffman | Thu 14th December 2017 - 11:55 am

Since late 2016, the English Party has been reviewing its structure and governance. This was initiated following the consultation conducted by the Federal Party following the 2015 General Election, which revealed some considerable criticism of the English Party for a lack of transparency and accountability.

The English Party established the English Review Group towards the end of 2016, with members drawn from each of the 11 English Regions. This is chaired by Sally Symington, who has not previously been a member of any of the English Party committees. She was recommended for her common-sense approach, her fresh eye, and her experience …

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Paul Walter

Money to support young people who want to see a parliamentary by-election campaign at first hand

By Paul Walter | Mon 11th December 2017 - 10:55 am

I thought that might get your attention…!

It’s eighteen months since the death of David Rendel, former Liberal Democrat MP for Newbury from 1993 to 2005. His untimely demise was obviously a cruel blow for his family. In Newbury, we also miss him dreadfully in the Liberal Democrats. We lost a great friend. I lost a great friend. I miss his humility, his enormous wisdom, his integrity, his selflessness, his sense of humour, his encouraging smile, his endless energy and passion for liberalism.

Fortunately, shortly before his death, when asked if there was anything that the local Lib Dems could do in his memory, he expressed his wish. David was a great by-election afficianado. Indeed, he himself swept to victory in Newbury in 1993 in one of the most famous Liberal Democrat by-election victories in history. David was also a passionate mentor to many young people in politics. In his last months he said that he would like there to be some sort of fund in his name which enables young people who are interested in politics (and he specified that these young people would not necessarily be Lib Dem members, but perhaps broadly share our values) to be able to go to a parliamentary by-election and immerse themselves for several weeks in the campaign – getting involved in the campaigning. He particularly wanted such a fund to benefit those young people who, without such financial support, might not otherwise be able to travel to and stay at a by-election location.

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Mark Valladares

Federal International Relations Committee and the Paperwork of Doom

By Mark Valladares | Wed 22nd November 2017 - 3:19 pm

Yes, it was time for FIRC to meet again, our fifth meeting of the year, and we had a packed agenda, notable really for a general lack of policy discussion. Again.

For those Committee members who had joined the Committee in anticipation of debating the burning foreign affairs issues of the day, this will have come as a disappointment. For former bureaucrats like myself, it’s just as frustrating, because if there’s one thing worse than bureaucracy, it’s bureaucracy done inelegantly.

The bright spot on the agenda was the visit of Andrew Hames, who burbled happily enough whilst his mother, and the Party’s …

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Lord Ken Macdonald

Your chance to have a say on draft disciplinary reform proposals

By Lord Ken Macdonald | Wed 15th November 2017 - 3:45 pm

Editor note – comments are closed on this article, given its nature.

The consultation on the Party’s governance held in late 2015 laid bare a number of concerns which members had with our current disciplinary processes. The Federal Executive at the time took the decision to commission a separate review, which I was asked to chair in the autumn of 2016.

I am clear: the only way members will be well-served by a disciplinary process is if it is simple, transparent and efficient. It needs to be independent, a stand-alone process, and it needs to deal with complaints promptly with clear lines …

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Duncan Brack

New Policy Working Group on Race Equality: Chair Needed

By Duncan Brack | Thu 2nd November 2017 - 10:45 am

Readers of Geoff Payne’s report on the last FPC meeting, on 18 October, may remember that we took the decision to establish a new policy working group on Race Equality.

The first stage in the process is for the FPC to appoint a chair of the working group, and we’re advertising for applicants now.

The chair will lead a group of around 15–20 members to produce policy proposals setting out the party’s plans for improving race equality and helping us reach out to BAME communities, while exemplifying the party’s values.

The working group will take evidence in the first half of 2018 …

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Natalie Chindipha

2018 Future Women MPs weekend – applications now open

By Natalie Chindipha | Tue 31st October 2017 - 12:45 pm

The Campaign for Gender Balance (CGB) and the Candidates & Diversity Team are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2018 edition of the Future Women MPs Weekend, to be held in Milton Keynes on 24-25 February 2018.

The weekend is an intensive residential training weekend for aspiring female MPs; designed to equip you with the knowledge you need as a candidate.

As well as expert advice on your political career the weekend will also give you:

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The Federal Policy Committee Report

By Geoff Payne | Thu 19th October 2017 - 3:16 pm

The Federal Policy Committee met again on 18th October 2017. This was a fairly heavy agenda this time and decisions were taken that will reach some distance into the future.

Association of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
Peter Price presented a report on the work of ALDE. The organisation has a total of 59 member parties throughout the EU and members of the Liberal Democrats have traditionally played a significant role within it. It is governed by a Bureau, a Council and a Congress, the latter meeting annually. Motions and papers can be submitted and there are usually quite a lot of them, often on what are …

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Mark Valladares

Want to fly the Liberal Democrat banner in 2022 (or maybe sooner)?

By Mark Valladares | Fri 6th October 2017 - 2:45 pm

It is easy to forget sometimes that a majority of Liberal Democrat members have joined since the 2015 General Election. Even in my rural corner of England that is Mid Suffolk, membership numbers have increased by more than 150%. What that means is a huge infusion of new blood, potentially willing to hold aloft the Party banner in elections, if only they could find out how. Perhaps I can help…

It may surprise some readers to hear that the process of selecting Parliamentary candidates is already underway in some constituencies. In some cases, they might represent potential target seats for 2022, …

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Mark Valladares

Here, there and everywhere – a report back from Federal International Relations Committee…

By Mark Valladares | Thu 20th July 2017 - 11:16 am

So, (some of) you very kindly voted for me last year to serve for three years as a member of Federal International Relations Committee. And, as promised, I am reporting back on what I’ve done, as well as making a few comments on our recent meeting on 13 July.

I’ve spent much of the first half of 2017 bringing the Committee up to constitutional speed. I produced our first Standing Orders in January, and have since amended them to create some formal process for selecting our candidates for positions on the Bureaux of Liberal International and the ALDE Party, following …

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The Voice

BREAKING NEWS: Vince Cable announces his candidacy for Leader

By The Voice | Tue 20th June 2017 - 11:00 am

A statement from Vince Cable MP:

Today I am announcing that I will be a candidate in the forthcoming Liberal Democrat leadership election. I wanted to do so on Lib Dem Voice, the leading forum for discussion amongst our membership.

With 20 years on the national political stage I am passionate as ever about our liberal values. I am ready to commit my energy, enthusiasm and experience to the task of leading the Liberal Democrats through what will be a period of chronic uncertainty. With the prospect of another election looming large, we must be ready for the fight.

Brexit negotiations have begun. The government is split and weakened; Labour is equivocal about Europe. The Liberal Democrats alone have a consistent and principled, outward looking, and approach to the issue. We must fight for the British public to have a final say on the government’s deal with a chance to stay in the EU if the deal is not good enough. To achieve this, we will need to work with like-minded people in other parties.

As Shadow Chancellor I secured a hard-won hearing for the party on the economy, warning of the 2008 financial crisis which has been a source of economic weakness, great inequality and political anger ever since. In government for five years as Secretary of State for Business I created a distinctive Lib Dem vision for the economy with a long-term industrial strategy, promotion of science and innovation, banking reform, investment in young people via apprenticeships and the promotion of socially responsible capitalism. With the economy approaching the Brexit iceberg, Liberal Democrats need more than ever to warn of the dangers ahead and the need for a new course.

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Joe Otten

Policy consultation deadline approaches

By Joe Otten | Tue 28th March 2017 - 12:54 pm

The Party conference may be over, but whether you got there or not, there is still a chance to make an input into policy. There are four policy consultation papers inviting your comments with a deadline of this Friday. These are each likely to come to a future conference as a full policy paper. Given that it is pretty hard for ordinary members to change much if anything in a policy paper from the floor of conference, this may be your best chance to influence policy. The papers can be found here.

I could have tried to offer neutral summaries …

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Mark Valladares

Let the trumpets sound, the banners fly, Federal International Relations Committee has met…

By Mark Valladares | Wed 8th February 2017 - 2:55 pm

The Federal International Relations Committee held its inaugural meeting in central London on 28 January which, for those of us living beyond the M25, meant a rather early start, albeit for a good cause. And we had much to do, not all of it entirely political.

For, with any new body comes a panoply of administration which, although rather dull, is essential to making sure that, when decisions are taken, they are valid. We had, fortunately, elected a Chair in advance, as only one of the directly elected members, Robert Woodthorpe Browne, applied for the post. Standing Orders have been adopted, a secretary elected, and a communications plan initiated.

The bureaucracy dealt with, the Committee looked at forthcoming business. Liberal International is currently drafting a new manifesto, timed for release during its Congress in Andorra in mid-May. 2017 sees the Liberal International reach its seventieth birthday, and the new document is intended to be a reboot of the original “Oxford Manifesto”, written in the shadow of World War 2, which espoused a liberal platform for the rebuilding of peace and democracy after such a calamity. But time moves on, and global liberalism faces new challenges. I’ll report more on this in the coming weeks.

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John Alderdice

Alderdice Review: A Further Call for Evidence

By John Alderdice | Tue 31st January 2017 - 4:07 pm

John, Lord Alderdice, who is conducting an independent inquiry into improving process and culture within the Liberal Democrats – focusing on race and ethnicity – has put out a further invitation for comments and responses on the issue.

I am most grateful to the significant number of Party members, officials and others who have responded in writing or in confidential meetings, to my invitation to provide relevant experiences and views to help me form an accurate picture. I have also appreciated their thoughts and ideas about how to address issues that they have observed. Some have responded to the invitation for evidence and others to direct approaches by me.

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Tim Gordon

Internal Party Elections – Round 2

By Tim Gordon | Tue 17th January 2017 - 11:01 am

This weekend the Federal Board met for the first time. It was great to have such a mix of new talent and experience to drive the party forward.

You may have noticed during the elections to Party committees late last year that there would be a second round of elections to some of our more specialised party committees, not least the Federal People Development Committee and the Federal Finance and Resources Committee.

While all members are invited to seek nominations to these committees (and a variety of other individual posts – see here for details), due to the specialised nature of these …

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Paul Walter

Choosing one’s ideal Focus delivery tool

By Paul Walter | Wed 21st December 2016 - 10:50 am

Last April, while delivering Focus leaflets for a by-election, I had a slight disagreement with a member of the canine community. I came off the worst, resulting in a trip to the local minor injuries department and a spectacular dressing on my finger.

Ever since that incident, I have at last listened to wiser heads who have advised using a Focus delivery tool.

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Mark Valladares

The end of an era as International Relations Committee faces a new dawn…

By Mark Valladares | Fri 25th November 2016 - 11:07 am

irc-meetingYes, this week saw the last meeting of the International Relations Committee in its current form, as the Governance Review has renamed it the ‘Federal International Relations Committee’ and given it a perhaps sharper focus than hitherto. And, whilst the agenda wasn’t exactly a full one, there were matters of import to discuss.

International Office have been, as usual, busy, with work being done in Kenya, Georgia, Morocco and South Africa. Our International officer, Harriet Shone, has been busy, focussing particularly on improving campaigning techniques, engaging under-represented groups and more effective voter outreach. …

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Lucy Nethsingha

Make your views known to the Education Policy Working Group

By Lucy Nethsingha | Tue 15th November 2016 - 8:30 am

The Education Policy Working Group had a number of useful evidence sessions. We have heard from the teaching unions, representatives of the exam boards, academics and charities, and from researchers and leaders in think tanks.

There have been a number of themes which have emerged from these conversations as key areas where the working group should focus attention. There has also been a remarkable degree of unanimity from those giving evidence on the key problems facing education, although solutions are less easy to find!

Our first session was focused on the area of teacher recruitment and retention. It is …

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Tim Gordon

Tim Gordon writes…REMINDER that nominations close for party internal elections on 2 November

By Tim Gordon | Sun 30th October 2016 - 2:21 pm

From one by-election we run straight into another, with Richmond Park getting off the ground as a result of the Government’s decision on Heathrow expansion. It is absolutely vital that we all contribute to the campaign as early as we possibly can to keep up the momentum from Witney.

In the midst of the excitement for a second by-election in a matter of weeks you may however have missed that the deadline for nominations for internal elections to our Party’s Committees is fast approaching. Nominations close on Wednesday 2 November at 12 noon.

As a reminder there are four committees up for election: the Federal Board, the Federal Conference Committee, the Federal Policy Committee and the Federal International Relations Committee. In addition, a number of spaces are available for members to represent the party within our Delegation to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE). The position of Party President is also up for election this year. 

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NewsHound

Party sets up review of culture and processes focusing on race and ethnicity

By NewsHound | Fri 28th October 2016 - 9:34 am

The Liberal Democrats are committed to better representing the communities they seek to serve and have voted through a raft of measures, including the Diversity Quotas and Electing Diverse MP’s motions passed by members at Federal Conference in York and Brighton this year.

As part of the party’s ongoing commitment to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society; an independent review which will focus on the issues and/or barriers faced by BAME members and supporters has been commissioned by the Federal Executive. This review should help the party determine what and where the issues are and how we take action in this specific area.

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Tim Pickstone

Mayor Dave Hodgson elected as Chair of the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors

By Tim Pickstone | Tue 4th October 2016 - 3:45 pm

Dave Hodgson at Polling Station in Bedford 15 Oct 2009wNominations have closed for members to serve on the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors (ALDC) Management Committee, 2016-2018.

Mayor Dave Hodgson has been elected as the next Chair of ALDC.

Dave Hodgson has been the Liberal Democrat Elected Mayor of Bedford Borough since 2009. Dave was previously a Councillor on Bedford Borough Council, having first been elected in 2002, and was leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the Council prior to his election as Mayor.

Dave has previously run his own business in the North East, and worked as an IT lecturer at universities in London and the North-East. Dave serves as the Liberal Democrat lead on the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board. He has held a number of posts in the Liberal Democrats, including Regional Campaigns Officer and Regional Chair, and worked as the party’s Membership Development Officer for England. He has also worked as a full time agent.

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Mark Valladares

Welcome aboard International Relations Committee

By Mark Valladares | Tue 26th July 2016 - 10:02 am

Welcome aboard International Relations Committee flight 2016 to everywhere. My name is Mark, and I’ll be taking care of you today. On the flight deck is Harriet Shone, our International Officer, and our Chair, Robert Woodthorpe Browne, welcomes you aboard today’s flight.

Alright, clichéd opening written, let’s get serious. We’ve just recruited vast numbers of new, pro-European, members, and there’s a governance review underway. What better time than now to refocus the work of the International Relations Committee?

It would be fair to say that International Relations Committee has been a bit semi-detached from the mainstream Party in the past. That hasn’t …

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NewsHound

Wounded Liberal Democrats (Canine injury branch) founded #libdemsbiteback

By NewsHound | Mon 9th May 2016 - 11:55 am

tony and pw2Here’s a photograph of a very special occasion on Friday evening. At Newbury’s Corn Exchange (a venue which may well go down alongside the Norbreck Castle hotel, Blackpool in Lib Dem history) there was the inaugural meeting of Wounded Liberal Democrats (canine injury branch).

Our photo shows Tony Ferguson (eve of poll dog bite in Portsmouth while campaigning for Gerald Vernon-Jackson’s highly successful team) and Paul Walter (dog bite while pushing in a “We called on you today” leaflet in Elizabeth O’Keeffe’s victorious gain from the Tories in Newbury Victoria). These two have over sixty years Liberal party/Liberal Democrat campaigning experience between them (so perhaps they should have known better before annoying my fellow hounds – Newshound)

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