Stephen Tall

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #177

By Stephen Tall | Thu 15th July 2010 - 9:55 pm

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 176th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere … Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (4th – 10th July, 2010), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox – just click here – ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.

As ever, let’s start with the most popular post, and work our way down:

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Mark Pack

Lib Dem pressure succeeds as European countries push for tougher action on global warming

By Mark Pack | Thu 15th July 2010 - 8:15 pm

Britain, France and Germany have joined forces this week to call for a major toughening of the EU’s target for greenhouse gasses. They have called for the current target of a 20% cut by 2020 to be increased to 30%.

In a statement they also played up the potential economic benefits of the move, “If we stick to a 20 per cent cut, Europe is likely to lose the race to compete in a low-carbon world to countries such as China, Japan or the US, all of which are looking to create a more attractive environment for low-carbon investment.”

As the

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Posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Stephen Tall

When is a rebellion not a rebellion?

By Stephen Tall | Thu 15th July 2010 - 7:30 pm

The Coalition decision to raise VAT was, by some measure, the most controversial aspect of the Government’s first budget. In our recent survey of party members, 42% opposed the move, though 48% endorsed it (however reluctantly) to deal with the deficit.

The party’s MPs have also been wrestling with the issue. The VAT increase was debated on Tuesday night in the Commons – in the end only Colchester’s Bob Russell from the Lib Dems voted against the Government, siding with a Labour amendment.

As Jim Pickard in the FT notes, St Ives MP Andrew George, and four other Lib …

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged , , , and | 13 Comments
Stephen Tall

Channel 4 News: Zac Goldsmith has “questions to answer” about election spending

By Stephen Tall | Thu 15th July 2010 - 6:40 pm

Channel 4 News will tonight broadcast the results of an investigation which it claims show Conservative MP for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith, has serious questions to answer about the accuracy of his election expenses.

The total allowable expenses for the campaign for all candidates was £11,003. Zac’s official returns show he spent 98% of his limit, just £220 below the limit. Channel 4 News questions whether on three specific items – his spending on political signs, personalised jackets and campaign leaflets – Zac’s claims would have been higher if he had complied with both the letter and the spirit of …

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 17 Comments
The Voice

Vince Cable’s speech on higher education funding

By The Voice | Thu 15th July 2010 - 6:24 pm

Vince Cable, Lib Dem secretary of state for business, innovation and skills, today delivered his much-trailed speech on higher education funding. The full text was published on the department’s website, and is reproduced below. A shorter version appears on the Lib Dems’ website here.

This is my first attempt to set out my views on the university, and wider, HE sector and my aspirations for it. The background is a very sombre and difficult one, financially. Without doubt the most serious within living memory. David Willetts and I are working together to find a way of dealing with it.

Much

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 12 Comments
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Martin Shapland

Liberal Youth respond to graduate tax proposals

By Martin Shapland | Thu 15th July 2010 - 3:40 pm

Well I, for one, was hoping for a quiet summer.

Having been elected as the new Chair of the Youth party exactly two weeks ago I’m just about getting my bearings about where all the buttons to push are, so imagine my surprise when I found the big red button marked ‘Higher Education Funding.’

The issue of Higher Education funding is, perhaps, Liberal Youth’s biggest single issue, and our policy, and that of the Federal Party, is probably our most recognisable to young people across the country; When you ask a student about Fees they will be able to tell …

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Posted in News | Tagged | 27 Comments
Ed Randall

Opinion: With Liverpool in my mind

By Ed Randall | Thu 15th July 2010 - 2:45 pm

A mistaken diagnosis that leads to mistaken and damaging policies: an invitation to Liberal Democrats to reflect on coalition policy before they meet in Liverpool in September.

The coalition government is committed to urgent fiscal retrenchment. Measures agreed between the coalition partners mean that the coalition has adopted £6 billion of ‘early’/Conservative public sector spending cuts, cuts that Liberal Democrats previously opposed.

The coalition’s emergency budget announced an increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20%, to be introduced at the beginning of 2011. The VAT rise was presented as an essential part of a plan to accelerate the elimination of a …

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Posted in Op-eds | 26 Comments
Mark Pack

Tackling anti-social behaviour by training the public

By Mark Pack | Thu 15th July 2010 - 1:15 pm

That’s the intriguing proposition in a pamphlet by Ben Rogers, published this week by the RSA. He starts with the case of first aid – point out how the widespread training of the public in first aid has helped supplement the core health services provided by the state – and then goes on to suggest a similar approach to anti-social behaviour:

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Stephen Tall

Official: 4,500 new Lib Dem members have joined party since election and coalition agreement

By Stephen Tall | Thu 15th July 2010 - 12:20 pm

Lib Dem party membership is up a remarkable 14% this year, according to official figures released by the party in England. 4,500 new members have joined the party since the election and the coalition agreement was reached, and the party is having greater success in retaining current members than in previous years.

Lib Dem Voice reported last week the anecdotal evidence of one parliamentary candidate, Gareth Epps in Reading East, that Lib Dem membership has been on the increase, with a ratio of 10 new members for every one member leaving.

Well, it’s now clear that the experience in Reading is …

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Posted in News and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , and | 80 Comments
Stephen Tall

What a difference three months makes #nickcleggsfault

By Stephen Tall | Thu 15th July 2010 - 11:20 am

Three months ago, Thursday, 15th April, witnessed the UK’s first televised debate between the main party leaders.

Here’s a reminder of the close of the first debate, which sparked ‘Cleggmania’ as well as the catchphrase “I agree with Nick”, and the subsequent Twitter hashtag craze #nickcleggsfault …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 16 Comments
Mark Pack

The class dimension to turnout

By Mark Pack | Thu 15th July 2010 - 10:20 am

It’s been a long established pattern of British politics that the higher you go up the social scale, the higher turnout is in elections. The 2010 general election is no exception but looking through the numbers one class dimension comes out. Overall turnout collapsed after 1997 and has since had a modest recovery, but the pattern of that recovery across the classes is far from even.

Amongst DEs, turnout in 2010 was 57%, still 9 points down on the 66% turnout in 1997. It was a similar picture amongst C2s (58%, still 11 points down) and C1s (66%, still 9 points …

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Posted in General Election | Tagged and | 1 Comment
Stephen Tall

Guardian: Labour’s involvement in illegal abduction and torture of British citizens

By Stephen Tall | Thu 15th July 2010 - 10:00 am

Today’s Guardian reports the involvement of senior Labour figures, including Tony Blair and Jack Straw, in the illegal abduction and torture of British citizens by the secret services:

The true extent of the Labour government’s involvement in the illegal abduction and torture of its own citizens after the al-Qaida attacks of September 2001 has been spelled out in stark detail with the disclosure during high court proceedings of a mass of highly classified documents.

Previously secret papers that have been disclosed include a number implicating Tony Blair’s office in many of the events that are to be the subject of the

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Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 7 Comments
Stephen Tall

Nick Robinson notes Lib Dems’ “important injection of democracy” into Coalition’s NHS plans

By Stephen Tall | Wed 14th July 2010 - 10:10 pm

Mark Pack yesterday noted Lib Dem health minister Paul Burstow’s hand at work in the NHS White Paper – it’s a theme also picked up today by the BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson, who comments on his blog:

The proposals for a re-organisation of the NHS included a fundamental and little-noticed change from those contained in either the Conservative manifesto or the coalition agreement. The government now plan to give councils a major new strategic health role, examining the purchasing decisions of GPs and fitting them together with their plans for public health and social care. For the Lib

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 12 Comments
The Voice

Lord Ashdown to lead review of emergency aid

By The Voice | Wed 14th July 2010 - 8:55 pm

The party website reports the news:

A review of how the Government responds to disasters such as the Haiti earthquake will be led by former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown, it was announced today.

Lord Ashdown will lead a taskforce of humanitarian experts from inside and outside Government to review all aspects of how the UK Government responds to disasters and work with the international community to speed up the delivery of aid.

The review will also look at how the UK can best work with international bodies and UN agencies in emergency situations and to ensure that the global response to

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Stephen Tall

Vince Cable set to propose graduate tax to replace tuition fees

By Stephen Tall | Wed 14th July 2010 - 8:05 pm

The BBC reports:

A graduate tax is to be proposed by the Business Secretary Vince Cable, in a keynote speech on the future funding of higher education. This would mean students in England would repay the costs of going to university through taxation once t hey began working. A review of tuition fees and student finance is due to report in the autumn.

Mr Cable, who has pledged to oppose raising fees, will suggest a graduate tax as an alternative system. This would mean students’ fees being paid by the government to universities – and graduates would then pay a higher

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Posted in News | Tagged , , , , and | 60 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Mark Pack – Why AV reform would still be a big improvement on Westminster

By NewsHound | Wed 14th July 2010 - 7:35 pm

Over at the Liberal Conspiracy website, LDV Co-Editor Mark Pack takes a look at the proposed new electoral system, the alternative vote, and points out some of the welcome behavioural changes it might exert on British political culture. Here’s an excerpt:

What really interests me about AV is the change in political culture it can bring about. … Under preferential voting most candidates hoping to win most of the time have to have an eye on appealing to the second preferences of those who cast a first preference for another party. That imposes a significant burden on the style of politics

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged | 4 Comments
Stephen Tall

How Clegg switched sides at half-time

By Stephen Tall | Wed 14th July 2010 - 6:58 pm

No, not more revelations from the memoirs of New Labour’s svengali, Lord (Peter) Mandelson – rather a diary piece by Hugh Muir in the Guardian.

LDV readers may recall Nick Clegg’s conflicted loyalties in deciding whether to support Holland or Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final. It appears he found out a way to resolve them:

… at a cross-party reception for the Lib Dem thinktank Centre Forum, the deputy prime minister admitted that while he began watching the World Cup final supporting Holland, as the Diary said he would, he switched sides halfway through and began rooting for

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Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 2 Comments
Paul Walter

PMQs: Harman’s Jujitsu hip throw

By Paul Walter | Wed 14th July 2010 - 4:20 pm

Once again, Harriet Harman eluded the predictions of such luminaries as the BBC’s Gary O’Donoghue and alighted on the unexpected subject of cancer waiting times.

This strikes me as an excellent subject for Harman to choose. Labour introduced a “guarantee” for cancer patients to see a specialist within two weeks of seeing their GP. Most of us know someone who has had cancer and know that the first few weeks of doubt and fear are appallingly traumatic. The two week guarantee is a very “real” target which means a great deal to worried patients and their relatives.

David Cameron didn’t …

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Posted in PMQs | 12 Comments
Mark Pack

More on Richard Grayson, Liberal Democrats and ideology

By Mark Pack | Wed 14th July 2010 - 3:20 pm

A footnote to my piece earlier this week about Richard Grayson’s pamphlet. In it I commented:

What I think Richard under-plays is the way the party’s attitude towards the state has changed not in response to different internal ideological views gaining ascendancy but rather in response to changing external circumstances. Given the huge expansion in public spending in the middle years of the Labour government, and the big expansion of central control in the early, middle and late years of Labour government, it is hardly a surprise that many who previously instinctively reached for more public spending and new regulations

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , and | 18 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Clarke fleshes out liberal line on prison

By NewsHound | Wed 14th July 2010 - 1:20 pm

Commentators on Lib Dem Voice are starting to get used to being in agreement with government ministers – sometimes even the Conservative ones.

Such an event occured yesterday, when Ken Clarke spoke to judges at the annual Mansion House Dinner, making the same argument made here a couple of weeks ago.

Crime has fallen in Britain throughout a period of both rising prison populations and throughout the same period of economic growth, with strong employment levels and rising living standards.

“No-one can prove cause and effect. The crime rate fell but was this the consequence of the policies of my successors

…

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Posted in LibLink | 3 Comments
Mark Pack

Campaigning isn’t just about leaflets: Talacre Gardens

By Mark Pack | Wed 14th July 2010 - 12:20 pm

At the weekend I popped over to Camden, to film Cllr Matt Sanders talking about campaigning in Talacre Gardens. It’s a great example of what local campaigning can achieve – working with residents to protect a green space – and how leaflets are a means to that end rather than an end in themselves. That’s a theme I’ll be returning to quite often over the summer as I co-write a new edition of the ‘how to win your ward’ book for ALDC, but in the meantime here’s the film:

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 8 Comments
John Pugh

John Pugh MP asks for Lib Dem members’ feedback on health issues

By John Pugh | Wed 14th July 2010 - 11:20 am

As part of the empowerment (sorry about the cliche!) of ordinary members it might be useful if you let us in the Westminster village know how you react to unfolding coalition policy.

I’m tasked as Co-Chair for the Backbench Health Committee to ensure that distinctive Lib Dem policy on health goes into the Coalition Government equation.

So I have decided to seek party members’ views on the much-reported Health White Paper – especially from those who have a bit of hands on experience of the NHS.

Please post here or alterantively e-mail me at [email protected]

The issues are not insignificant, with …

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged | 163 Comments
Mark Pack

What can success in other fields tell us about politics?

By Mark Pack | Wed 14th July 2010 - 10:20 am

First published in 2008, Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers is a rebuttal of the traditional American emphasis on people’s success coming from the individual merit and triumph of exceptional humans as epitomised in the quote from Robert Winthorp who urged people at the unveiling of a statute of Benjamin Franklin to, “look at the image of a man who rose from nothing, who owned nothing to parentage or patronage, who enjoyed no advantages of early education which are not open – a hundredfold open – to yourselves”. Instead, Gladwell argues that although individual ability matters, it also requires three other crucial elements …

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Posted in Books and Op-eds | Tagged and | 5 Comments
Mark Pack

More details published of Government’s review of anti-terrorism powers

By Mark Pack | Wed 14th July 2010 - 9:20 am

A Home Office news release tells us:

The Home Secretary has announced today that a rapid review of key counter-terrorism and security powers is underway. The review will look at what counter-terrorism powers and measures could be rolled back in order to restore the balance of civil liberties and counter-terrorism powers…

The review will look at six areas:

• the use of control orders;

• stop and search powers in section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and the use of terrorism legislation in relation to photography;

• the detention of terrorist suspects before charge;

• extending the use of deportations with assurances to remove foreign

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Mark Pack

Alistair Darling wanted to raise VAT

By Mark Pack | Wed 14th July 2010 - 8:50 am

Throws a bit of a spanner in the works of the Labour rhetoric about how awful anyone who contemplates raising VAT is:

Amid reported wrangling between No 10 and the Treasury, Lord Mandelson suggested in his memoir that Mr Brown rejected a proposal from the chancellor to raise VAT while Mr Darling quashed calls for any future VAT rises to be ruled out. (BBC)

Mandelson writes that Brown and Darling rowed over economic strategy. He “vetoed point-blank” a proposal from Darling to raise VAT up to 18% or 19%. The then chancellor then blocked a proposal from Brown to rule out

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Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 21 Comments
Mark Pack

A taxing mystery from yesterday in Parliament

By Mark Pack | Tue 13th July 2010 - 10:29 pm

Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert tweeted yesterday:

In chamber listening to Finance Bill debate. Labour trying to reduce (!) capital gains rate from 28% to 25%. No, I don’t understand why!

Posted in Parliament | Tagged and | 8 Comments
Mark Pack

Paul Burstow’s hand at work in the NHS White Paper

By Mark Pack | Tue 13th July 2010 - 9:47 pm

Paul Burstow, now a health minister, has a long record of campaigning for better coordination and integration between the different services which look after people’s health. So although the government isn’t talking publicly about which part of the health White Paper has been driven by whom, you can see Paul’s influence at work, as reported by The Guardian:

The sector has long pressed for the joining-up of health and social care – and the white paper seeks to promote this, particularly through the proposed new role for local government in respect of public health.

It also sets out an increased responsibility …

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 10 Comments
Stephen Tall

Miriam Gonzalez blows whistle on sexist media: “treat women for who they are and not simply for what their male partners do”

By Stephen Tall | Tue 13th July 2010 - 8:20 pm

Hat-tip to Lib Dem Welsh assembly member Peter Black for blogging the letter by Miriam Gonzalez (or Mrs Nick Clegg as she’s known to right-wing tabloids) published in today’s paywall-protected Times, in which she directs a well-aimed shot at the paper for its shabby treatment of a woman who happened to have fallen in love with a man in the public eye:

Sir, now that Spain has won the World Cup and Iker Casillas demonstrated on Sunday that he is an outstanding goalkeeper regardless of whether his girlfriend, Sara Carbonero, watches him from the touchline or not, it may be time for you to eat a bit of humble pie. Trying to blame Sara for Spain’s initial lacklustre performance while she was simply doing her job was not worthy of a newspaper that should treat women for who they are and not simply for what their male partners do.

Miriam Gonzalez
London SW15

You can read the background to the story, and The Times’s reaction to Miriam’s letter, in the Telegraph.

And for those who missed it, here is the rather touching video of Sr. Casillas meeting his girlfriend, Srta. Carbonero, for the first time after Spain’s World Cup triumph:

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 7 Comments
The Voice

Rhondda Lib Dem parliamentary candidate quits to stand as independent for council

By The Voice | Tue 13th July 2010 - 7:50 pm

So Wales Online reports:

A WELSH Liberal Democrat candidate in the recent General Election has quit the party and is now standing as an Independent for his local council.

Paul Wasley, 60, polled 3,309 votes in the Rhondda constituency, coming third with 10.7% of the turnout. The seat was retained by Labour’s Chris Bryant.

Next week, however, Mr Wasley is seeking election as an Independent to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council in a by-election. The ward – Cymmer – has no Liberal Democrat candidate.

A spokesman for the Welsh Liberal Democrats said: “Our membership services department say he is no longer a member but

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Posted in Wales | Tagged and | 1 Comment
NewsHound

LibLink: Julian Astle – How Lib Dems are being defamed

By NewsHound | Tue 13th July 2010 - 6:45 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment is Free website, the director of liberal think-tank Centre Forum, Julian Astle, gives a personal take on what it’s like as a Lib Dem to be taunted as a Tory by Labour’s “deficit deniers”, and parises the Coalition measures he believes should cheer all progressives. Here’s an excerpt:

Deficit denial may have its advantages if you are an opposition politician vying for the leadership of your party. Take that denial into government, however, and the consequences would be catastrophic. … The uncomfortable truth is that, to bring in a lot of money, governments have no

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged and | 23 Comments
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  • Big Tall Tim
    An excellent article Victor on the great work you are doing. It's a great shame people like David can't give credit where credit is due....
  • Scott Rennie
    Couldn’t agree more Karen. It’s the best speech in a generation, and more importantly an opportunity to build common cause on things that matter to us, like...
  • Nigel Jones
    I too thank you for this interesting article. Community has been in decline for decades in most parts of the country, but this seems particularly the case where...
  • David Le Grice
    All whilst playing second fiddle to the Green party of course. And credit for toppling Labour goes almost entirely to them. Something that was completely avoid...
  • Nigel Jones
    Sorry! in the above I meant to say " we should be heard more on NATIONAL issues when we are campaigning locally". How else can people know what we stand for on ...