Alex Foster

Catchup in Budget week

By Alex Foster | Mon 28th June 2010 - 1:18 am

Weekly catchup returns this week as the nation, and this blog, have been consumed with debate about the budget. Not for us such petty distractions as the World Cup, the cricket, the world-record breaking tennis or the siren call of the vuvuzela; no, for us, it’s all about the 2.5 percentage point difference between the previous VAT rate and the next.

We kicked off our budget coverage with a message from Nick Clegg warning us that things would not be pretty.

On budget day itself, we asked you what you thought, and spawned a massive comments thread with over 200 …

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Mark Pack

Mail blunders over Twitter, again

By Mark Pack | Sun 27th June 2010 - 7:20 pm

Fresh from the Mail’s triumph of journalism where it exposed an MP sending tweets in the middle of the night (only a pedant would point out that the Mail’s journalist read the time wrong and in fact the tweets were sent during the day), we have the Mail’s splash on how Steve Jobs may be planning to recall iPhone 4s (and again only a pedant would point out that the Mail’s journalist failed to see the words pointing out that the Twitter account is a spoof).

Makes you want to work for the Mail so you can share in …

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Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 3 Comments
Iain Roberts

A personal message from your Liberal candidate

By Iain Roberts | Sun 27th June 2010 - 6:20 pm

This is a time when we should all be pulling together, yet here we are, in the middle of a general election which could leave the country desperately divided.

The election itself will not solve any of our problems.  Our present troubles will still be with us long after the result has been announced.  Our need then will not be for confrontation but for partnership, and your  vote could help to bring about that spirit of unity which our country so badly needs.

…

Even forty or fifty Liberal Members in the next parliament would be enough to change the face of Britain. 

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 21 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism: Labour Déjà vu for Scotland

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 27th June 2010 - 2:25 pm

George Osborne’s Budget can’t really be described as anything other than grim despite the clear Liberal Democrat contribution to make it fairer. In Scotland this means that 2 million basic rate taxpayers will benefit from the raising of the tax threshold and a million pensioners will be better off because of the restoration of the earnings link to the State Pension.

Certainly it was vital that the Government took action to deal with the mess that Labour had left it. This is a mess that makes the Winter of Discontent and Black Wednesday look like mere frivolities.

Don’t blame …

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Posted in Scotland | 15 Comments
Iain Roberts

No return to two-party politics, but we need to trumpet our successes

By Iain Roberts | Sun 27th June 2010 - 1:20 pm

A couple of post-budget polls show post-budget combined support for the coalition parties remarkably steady – one at 59% and the other 56%, but with a move from the Lib Dems to the Tories, with Labour also picking up a bit of support  and “others” squeezed down.

Unsurprisingly, the budget is less popular with Lib Dem voters than Tory voters.  It’s less popular with our activists too.  Most Lib Dems recognise the need for tough action to sort out the mess the nation’s finances are in, and Nick and Vince have been talking about it for long enough.

But the measures in …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 29 Comments
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Malcolm Wood

Opinion: Making VAT fair

By Malcolm Wood | Sun 27th June 2010 - 12:20 pm

It has become fashionable in the last few days to describe VAT as a “regressive”, and by implication unfair, tax. This is usually followed by complaint about how hypocritical it is of the Liberal Democrats to agree to an increase in its rate.

But VAT is not, by the simplest definition, a regressive tax. A regressive tax is one where the rate of taxation decreases as the value of the thing being taxed increases. A progressive tax is the other way round. Income tax is progressive, because those on higher incomes pay a higher rate of tax on it. Council tax …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 55 Comments
Mark Pack

Information Commissioner writing to Unite over its data protection approach

By Mark Pack | Sun 27th June 2010 - 11:56 am

A footnote to my post from the general election campaign, Hasn’t Charlie Whelan admitted Unite is breaking the law?. Finally, after nearly three months the Information Commissioner has ruled on the complaint and is writing to Unite to “recommend” they change their data protection registration.

As to why the Information Commission didn’t take any action whilst all the phoning was going on and instead waited until the phoning was all over, the data gathered, the data used, the votes all cast and the results decided? The Information Commissioner’s office says “Please accept my apologies”. Not quite regulation at its best.

Posted in News | Tagged , and | 2 Comments
Mark Pack

More party I.D. figures

By Mark Pack | Sun 27th June 2010 - 10:20 am

A quick follow-up to my post with YouGov’s party I.D. figures as I’ve now got ComRes’s equivalent figures, these taken from its penultimate election poll:

Party I.D.
Labour 32.5% (YouGov), 39% (ComRes)
Conservatives 28.5% (YouGov), 35% (ComRes)
Lib Dem 12% (YouGov), 17% (ComRes)

Measuring underlying party I.D, as opposed to current voting intention, is a notoriously difficult process as people’s general political views expressed to pollsters often move closely in step with their voting intention. Therefore the differences in numbers for each party between the two pollsters are not too surprising and it is more significant that the pattern is …

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Posted in News and Polls | Tagged and | 5 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander on the Budget

By NewsHound | Sun 27th June 2010 - 9:19 am

Writing in The Observer Danny Alexander says,

Labour’s approach of denial and complacency would bring higher interest rates, fewer jobs, less growth, more debt. It exposes us to much greater risks of financial irresponsibility – being forced by others to cut harder, with less care and control. That is the position of some European countries – it must never be Britain’s. There is nothing progressive about the consequences of denial and delay.

The coalition has chosen responsibility. We are restoring order to the nation’s finances, credibility to our position internationally, and confidence in our economy that is essential for growth. Having chosen

…

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , , and | 9 Comments
Ryan Cullen

Welcome to the new bloggers…

By Ryan Cullen | Sat 26th June 2010 - 9:41 pm

Eight blogs have recently joined my Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

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Posted in Online politics | Tagged | 1 Comment
NewsHound

LibLink: Lib Dems back cuts to reinvent the state, not to reduce it – Julian Astle

By NewsHound | Sat 26th June 2010 - 4:20 pm

Julian Astle, a Director of CentreForum, has an op-ed in the Daily Telegraph about the party’s attitude towards the state and cuts:

There aren’t many Liberal Democrats who went into politics to shrink the state. It is true that many Liberals, like Conservatives, are sceptical about the ability of big, centralised bureaucracies even to function efficiently, let alone bring about social and economic change. But this scepticism leads them to policy conclusions quite distinct from those advocated by small-government Tories.

The primary goal for Liberals is not to reduce public spending per se, but to devolve public spending and other decisions to

…

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged | 15 Comments
Mark Pack

Lib Dem MPs in the news

By Mark Pack | Sat 26th June 2010 - 2:20 pm

Lembit Opik is interested in becoming Mayor of London, while The Guardian has a round-up of comments from backbenchers about the Budget. Although all are anxious about one aspect or another, notably they all overall support is as with Annette Brooke:

I don’t like the budget but I dislike the economic situation we find ourselves in even more. The Lib Dems have done their utmost to address the fairness issue. In an ideal word I would not choose to put up VAT. But I was convinced, even at the hustings meeting, that the books were much worse than we

…

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Posted in Conference, London and News | Tagged , , and | 16 Comments
Mark Pack

Six companies awarded contracts to develop more energy efficient lighting for homes

By Mark Pack | Sat 26th June 2010 - 12:20 pm

From the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs comes this news:

Six British companies have won support for carrying out technical feasibility studies in the first phase of a major initiative to develop more energy efficient lighting for our homes.

The £1.2m research fund, from the Technology Strategy Board and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), will help the companies to become market leaders in the best ultra energy-efficient lighting, which will contribute to reduced energy consumption in our homes.

The companies have been awarded up to £40,000 each to carry out work, over the next three months, to

…

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Posted in News | 5 Comments
Mark Pack

Ideas for saving public money? The Treasury wants to hear from you

By Mark Pack | Sat 26th June 2010 - 10:20 am

The Treasury has launched a website asking for evidence from the frontline about how public spending can be saved:

This week’s Budget set out a 25 per cent cut in spending for most departments over four years. Now, we want you to help us find those savings so we can cut public spending in a way that is fair and responsible. You work on the frontline of public services. You know where things are working well, where the waste is, and where we can re-think things so that we get better services for less money.

Share your idea with us. Either one

…

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Posted in News | 78 Comments
George Gosling

Opinion: A European question for the coalition

By George Gosling | Sat 26th June 2010 - 9:20 am

Like many here, the idea of a coalition with the Tories goes rather against the grain for me. What convinced me to at least give the ‘new politics’ a chance was not the thought of David Cameron in Number 10 (and certainly not the idea of Boy George in Number 11), but the amount of positive inclusions in the coalition agreement.

Mark Pack has done a good job, here on LDV, of going through the agreement line by line. There is much for us to be happy about. What still causes me concern, however, is the amount that is not …

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Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | Tagged and | 6 Comments
Mark Pack

SNP ends legal challenge over election debate

By Mark Pack | Fri 25th June 2010 - 8:49 pm

The Press Gazette reports:

The Scottish National Party has dropped its legal challenge against the BBC’s decision not to allow its leader Alex Salmond to appear in its televised debate in the run-up to the general election.

A judicial review of the matter was scheduled to be heard at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

You can read the full story here.

Posted in News | Tagged , and | 1 Comment
Mark Pack

Scope calls for online voting to assist disabled voters

By Mark Pack | Fri 25th June 2010 - 4:20 pm

The BBC reports:

Online voting should be introduced to assist disabled voters after access to polling stations failed to improve for this year’s election, a charity said.

A Scope survey suggested more than two thirds of the general election polling stations failed basic access tests.

Ms Scott said the country’s voting system “isn’t working for other voters either,” demonstrated by “scores of people queuing outside polling stations” at the recent general election.

“Over the last decade there has been next to no improvement in the overall accessibility of polling stations or postal voting,” she said.

“There is a pressing need for clearer accountability

…

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Posted in Election law | Tagged , and | 4 Comments
Mark Pack

An unexpected consequence of opening up data

By Mark Pack | Fri 25th June 2010 - 12:20 pm

I blogged recently about the welcome moves being made to open up London’s transport data to wider use. A great example of what opening up data can produce is the map showing the locations of tube trains on the network in real time – available for free and produced thanks to the enthusiasm and civic-mindedness of volunteers.

But with the current tube strikes in mind, it also shows how opening up data can produce unexpected consequences. Because what is one of the standard parts of transport strikes? It’s conflicting claims from unions and management about how widespread the impact …

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Posted in London | Tagged | 4 Comments
Iain Roberts

Everyone should watch BBC Parliament once

By Iain Roberts | Fri 25th June 2010 - 11:20 am

Most people – the normal folks who aren’t political junkies – probably don’t spend their time watching BBC Parliament. But perhaps they should – just once or twice.

Why? The view most of us get from Parliament are the set pieces like PMQs. Benches packed with braying members and the aim to get one over on the other side, to give your team something to cheer about. The Punch and Judy politics every new leader of every political party has to ritually reject for at least a few hours before falling back into line.

But most of …

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Posted in Parliament | 11 Comments
Tom Papworth

Meme: The Great Repeal Bill should seek to abolish…

By Tom Papworth | Fri 25th June 2010 - 10:20 am

The Liberal Democrats called it The Freedom Bill. The Tories called it The Great Repeal Bill – and there are more of them in the government, so they will probably win the competition to name it.

Nonetheless, the aim is clear: to slough off the dead skin of government; to deliver us from regulatory evil.

And in a novel (and perhaps suspect) twist, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has promised that it will be up to the public to propose legislation for the chop. I have yet to be convinced!

But …

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Posted in News | Tagged | 15 Comments
Mark Pack

Government consults over ending 28 days pre-charge detention and control orders

By Mark Pack | Fri 25th June 2010 - 9:20 am

Following on from the welcome news of the review into ending Labour’s policy of detaining children for immigration purposes, yesterday a wide-ranging review into anti-terrorism measures was announced. (It’s a review that I of course have rather an interest in.)

Liberty’s take on the review is:

Help us end 28 day detention

Pre-charge detention refers to the length of time you can be locked up and questioned before you face a charge. In that time you may be unaware of what you are accused of, and unable to challenge the evidence against you. The current period for terror suspects is 28

…

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NewsHound

LibLink: Mike Tuffrey on London air quality

By NewsHound | Thu 24th June 2010 - 8:43 pm

London Assembly member Mike Tuffrey has been writing for The Guardian about Britain’s poor record on air quality:

Your report on Britain being given a second and final warning by theEuropean commission to clean up the capital’s air (Clean up! Europe warns Britain, 4 June) quoted a spokesman for the mayor of Londonsaying that his air quality strategy will help to “address the concerns that triggered this legal action”. I am far from convinced.

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Mark Pack

New twist over News of the World phone hacking allegations

By Mark Pack | Thu 24th June 2010 - 7:42 pm

In an unusual and dramatic turn in the long-running story of the News of the World (editor at the time, Andy Coulson) and the hacking in to the voicemail systems of people in the public eye, a lawyer whose claims were initially dismissed as wrong by the Press Complaints Commission is now sueing for libel.

As The Guardian explains:

Peta Buscombe, the baroness who chairs the Press Complaints Commission, has been sued for libel by a solicitor.

Writs have also been issued against the PCC itself and the Metropolitan Police by a London-based solicitor, Mark Lewis.

He is claiming damages for libel, including

…

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Iain Roberts

Lines of attack against the Lib Dems becoming clearer

By Iain Roberts | Thu 24th June 2010 - 4:20 pm

The Labour Party and the media in general are still figuring our how best to attack the Lib Dems – a party which, they all believed not so long ago, could be ignored, safe in the knowledge that it would never get near power.

Back then the strategy was simple: ignore when possible and insult when not. Rarely would you hear a mention of the Lib Dems in the press. As far as the tabloids were concerned, the party hardly existed except when some scandal erupted. Labour and the Conservatives rarely felt the urge to address …

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Posted in Op-eds | 146 Comments
George Kendall

Opinion: A budget to make us angry

By George Kendall | Thu 24th June 2010 - 2:50 pm

Frankly, this Budget is ghastly. There are some consolations such as progress towards the 10k tax allowance, but overall it’s awful.

I don’t blame Labour for everything. While they made mistakes, they were right to bail out the banks. And it is true that most of the pain is due to the international economic crisis.

But Labour did make this crisis worse. After a few years of financial restraint, they flooded public services with money. They should have increased the spending more gradually, and coupled it with reform to improve productivity. Instead, productivity fell. This isn’t hindsight, the point was made at …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 63 Comments
Mark Pack

A quiet fair pay revolution

By Mark Pack | Thu 24th June 2010 - 12:50 pm

Largely overlooked in the Budget was the confirmation of plans to introduce across the state sector a new standard for fair pay. The intention is that the best paid will receive no more than 20 times the salary of the lowest paid.

There is a wealth of detail still to be worked out, though reassuringly much of that work lies in the hands of Will Hutton, who is heading up a commission on fair pay in the public sector. Particularly important are questions of how broadly the public sector is defined (similar to the questions raised by Freedom of Information legislation, whose remit …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 20 Comments
Mark Pack

Review into ending the detention of children for immigration purposes closes 1 July

By Mark Pack | Thu 24th June 2010 - 11:20 am

The headline pretty much says it all: as promised in the coalition document, the government is moving towards ending the detention of children for immigration purposes.

As a result, the UK Border Agency is running a consultation, which closes on 1 July. You can find out more and submit your views via the UKBA website. Although the political commitment is clear, there are plenty of details still to be worked out, as the review document explains. So if it is an area you have some knowledge of, make sure you submit your views by 1 July.

Posted in News | Tagged | 4 Comments
Mark Pack

Duncan Brack stands down as chair of Federal Conference Committee

By Mark Pack | Thu 24th June 2010 - 9:20 am

Following his appointment as a special advisor to Chris Huhne, Duncan Brack has stood down as chair of the party’s Federal Conference Committee (FCC). A key figure in the organisation of party conferences for many years, first as the party’s Director of Policy and then on the FCC, Duncan was Chair for seven years.

This extends a neat chronological sequence of Federal Conference Committee chairs serving for four, five, six and now seven years.

Duncan will be continuing as a member of the Federal Policy Committee (FPC) which I think will provide a welcome extra link between the party’s policy processes and …

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged and | 2 Comments
Iain Roberts

At last…a Welsh Prime Minister

By Iain Roberts | Thu 24th June 2010 - 8:20 am

Congratulations to Julia Gillard, new leader of the Australian Labor Party and Australia’s first woman Prime Minister.

Welsh pride can also take a boost as Gillard was born in Barry Island, near Cardiff, where she lived until moving to Australia the ripe old age of four.

When it comes to furnishing the world with Prime Ministers, Wales has yet to fulfil its potential. In the UK we had David Lloyd-George (born in central Manchester but undoubtably Welsh) and so nearly had Neil Kinnock. We’ve had a Canadian born PM (Bonar Law) more recently than a Welshman.

Could this be a turning …

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Posted in Europe / International | Tagged , , and | 13 Comments
Vince Cable

Vince Cable: Why the VAT rise had to happen

By Vince Cable | Wed 23rd June 2010 - 6:51 pm

With annual borrowing of £160bn and a massive blank where Labour’s plans for deficit reduction should have been, this was always going to be a tough Budget – arguably the toughest since the 1980s. Some extraordinarily difficult decisions have been made to avoid an even worse crisis. Foremost amongst these was the decision to raise VAT from 17.5 to 20 percent.

Through the election campaign, all three prospective Chancellors were asked about VAT, and we all answered in exactly the same way: we have no plans to raise it, but we cannot rule it out. In fact, that was my position …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 141 Comments
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Recent Comments

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    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...
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    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...
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    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 ...