Nick Clegg gives the William Beveridge lecture
Speaking at the at Social Liberal Forum Conference 2012 on Saturday morning, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg gave the William Beveridge memorial lecture. Here are my tweets of the event, interspersed with some links to older blog posts that expanded on some of the issues which came up.
Storified by Mark Pack · Sat, Jul 14 2012 10:25:17
Impressively large turnout at #slfconf. Well done Mary + colleagues.Mark Pack
Nick Clegg giving William Beveridge Lecture 2012Mark Pack
.@nick_clegg praises Social Liberal Forum for its role in generating policy and promoting liberalism #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg I am not an economic liberal, a social liberal or a classical liberal. I am a Liberal Democrat #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Agrees with Beveridge’s aims but 21st century liberalism should rely less on centralised top-down solutions #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Wrestles every day with being progressive when big deficit + junior partner in a coalition #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Govt is more fair, more socially liberal because Lib Dems in government #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg By 2015 public spending as % GDP will still be higher than most of years under Labour #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Social mobility at heart of his beliefs + work #slfconfMark Pack
The problem with social mobilityNick Clegg often talks about social mobility, but is it the right focus for the party’s social efforts? The day after he was elected Libe…
.@nick_clegg Need to ensure health system incentivises health professionals to keep people healthy + out of hospital #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg … And that means health + social care systems need to be integrated. Major problem with the Beveridge system #slfconfMark Pack
Paul Burstow outlines plans for social care reformEarlier this evening I headed off to Alexandra Palace to go past the spectacular views and hear Paul Burstow talk about his plans for soc…
.@nick_clegg There is vast social housing crisis. Hints at major new policies. Notable housing is 2nd topic for speech after health #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Wants to use government balance sheet to sort financing problems for social housing building #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Sounds very like Paddy used to eulogising spending on early years education to give kids best chances in life #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Wants to dramatically simplify welfare system + always give a big financial benefit from moving into work #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg 2008 killed Lab+Con govts model of finanical innovation generating tax revenues to pay for social policies #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Need new model of regional + sector balanced growth with major new infrastructure + skills training #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Environmental damage was the big want Beveridge did not mention #slfconfMark Pack
As at party’s spring conference @nick_clegg works in significant praise for @ChrisHuhne environmental record as a minister #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg repeats the David Owen style appeal – party needs to mix economic credibility + social fairness #slfconfMark Pack
Newsletter 11 is out: Liberal Democrat conference previewYou can now read the latest edition of my email newsletter about the Liberal Democrats here, a special Birmingham Lib Dem conference prev…
.@nick_clegg attacks impact of inflation on poorest. Obv not won over by Nick Crafts/CentreForum argument for higher inflation #slfconfMark Pack
Three cheers for inflation?Economist and economic historian Nicholas Crafts is back in the public eye with a new pamphlet for CentreForum. Those with long memories …
.@nick_clegg Gove idea on O Level / 2 tier return is potty but are some areas exam reform should be considered #slfconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg ends speech with appeal to knock on doors – "we are a campaigning party or we are nothing" #slfconfMark Pack
Heard Clegg’s policy speech, now off to do a campaign briefing in Sutton #BalancedPolitics http://4sq.com/Oo7SBZMark Pack
* Mark Pack is Party President and is the editor of Liberal Democrat Newswire.
7 Comments
I support better warmer homes, and this is in the social housing sector. We should consider that there are many who are unable to buy their own homes. I have written quite a bit on the need for insulation good heating systems and good quality homes for all. Several schemes in place have only been of use to those in either private rental, or those who are lucky enough to own their own. This covers the lower paid worker, and in turn could provide a way forward out of the problems with the use of energy. It is serious the cost to stay warm, health and wellbeing.
Things seem to rattle around that there will be change, but when? I feel we have to be serious on the need to rely on outdated heating that still remains in quite a few homes.
If this is the kind of disjointed chatter that appears on Twitter I am glad don’t go there!
Tony Greaves
Hey Tony, get post modern: the mediator is the message.
Pity there’s not a transcript, sick and disabled being forced out to work when there isn’t any work, that can’t be right or humane or indeed good business practice
He was actually pretty good and especially good at putting immediate political issues in the wider context. He did not sound like the voice of Cameron, and made some good points about deprivation. He did oversimplify the choices available to government in making cuts, but the point that really turned me off was his offhand stereotyping of the voters we have lost as people who had hought we could be the conscience of the Labout Party. He sounded as if he was not bothered about losing them. We’ve lost some good people, voters, members and activists. They may have been mistaken, but they deserve more respect and we should care about the possibility of regaining some of them.
……………………………..We’ve lost some good people, voters, members and activists. They may have been mistaken, but they deserve more respect and we should care about the possibility of regaining some of them………………
Most of those ‘lost’ were those who had worked for years for ‘lost causes’ because they believed in the policies not the power.. Naive? perhaps, but dedicated.
They weren’t mistaken and they didn’t leave the party; the party left them.
As for getting them back; why would they do the ‘donkey work’ for a party that treats them as doormats?
The speech was not bad, as far as it went. But when he defended the free school program in the Q&A afterwards, he lost me. He has little idea (or chooses to mislead) about what he is really allowing Gove to do.