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By Mark Pack | Sun 18th April 2010 - 9:24 pm

Posted in General Election and Lib Dem TV | 5 Comments

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Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #165

By Stephen Tall | Sun 18th April 2010 - 8:20 pm

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 165th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere … Featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (11th – 17th April, 2010), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget: you can now 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:

Posted in Best of the blogs | 3 Comments

LibLink: James Graham – A new politics is up for grabs

By NewsHound | Sun 18th April 2010 - 7:45 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free website, Lib Dem blogger James Graham makes the argument that anyone wanting to transform politics in the UK at this election has the obvious solution in their hands: a vote for the Lib Dems: “Voting Lib Dem this time is the equivalent of pressing a bloody great reset button”.

But what if the result is that a high Lib Dem vote isn’t reflected in the number of Lib Dem MPs elected? Here’s James’s answer:

What we’ve seen over the past 48 hours is the possibility of a genuinely new approach. Instead of playing

…

Posted in General Election and LibLink | Tagged james graham | 1 Comment

“Rising stars face questions on Tory community work”

By Mark Pack | Sun 18th April 2010 - 7:19 pm

From The Times:

Two Tory rising stars fighting marginal seats in David Cameron’s West London backyard face embarrassment over their community projects, lauded by the Tory leader as models for his vision of a “Big Society”.

The Charity Commission has issued guidance to Joanne Cash after concerns were raised about her use of the word “charitable” to describe a social action project run and funded by her Conservative Association…

Shaun Bailey, candidate in neighbouring Hammersmith, faces scrutiny from the commission after an independent examiner discovered £16,000 worth of unreceipted expenditure in the charity he runs.

You can read the full story here.

Posted in News | Tagged hammersmith, joanne cash, shaun bailey and westminster north | Leave a comment

Opinion: It’s all very well agreeing now Gordon, but after 13 years how can your party be the change we need?

By Ed Randall | Sun 18th April 2010 - 6:10 pm

I think Nick is right – we need change”
Gordon Brown to Andrew Marr (18th April 2010)

Gordon Brown keeps agreeing with Nick Clegg but he doesn’t seem to understand where this agreement is leading. It leads directly to the following question, for the man who now admits he has had one damascene experience after another: “How can you or your party be the change we need?”

Gordon Brown has long had trouble reading the runes (and much else besides). He says he has been appalled by dishonest dealing in the City. He admits that he personally should have done better in …

Posted in Op-eds | 6 Comments

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The Cut-Out Debate Question … How would you change a broken light bulb?

By The Voice | Sun 18th April 2010 - 4:40 pm

The Voice is grateful to Saoirse Cathal Kavan – a member of the Facebook group We got Rage Against the Machine to #1, we can get the Lib Dems into office! which is growing at a quite astonishing rate (over 80,000 members) – for allowing us to publish this alternative take on the leaders’ debate …

Tim from Bristol: If you were to come into power, how would your party change a broken light bulb?

Nick: We’d ensure that the people have the power to replace light bulbs when they break and also see to it that replacement light bulbs are

…

Posted in Humour and Op-eds | 1 Comment

Conservative in trouble over fake names on tax letter

By Mark Pack | Sun 18th April 2010 - 3:50 pm

The Courier (covering Tayside and Fife) reports:

THE WRATH of the Perthshire business community came down on Perth and North Perthshire’s Tory General Election candidate Peter Lyburn yesterday after he used names on an open letter without permission, The Courier can reveal.

One of the prominent business people who feels “used” is Perthshire Chamber of Commerce president Paul Shields.

A letter, sent to The Courier and other newspapers on Thursday by Mr Lyburn, was critical of Labour’s planned 1% rise in National Insurance and supported Conservative plans to thwart it…

Mr Shields declared, “I haven’t seen an open letter. I haven’t signed an

…

Posted in News | Tagged conservative party, john ferguson, paul shields and tax | Leave a comment

Dear Labour Party, You’re messing with my head

By Stephen Tall | Sun 18th April 2010 - 2:45 pm

I live in Oxford East, a key Lib Dem target where in 2005 Labour scraped home by just 963 votes.

In the first week of the campaign, Labour plastered their literature with dire warnings that a vote for the Lib Dems would serve only one purpose: to let in the Tories.

Half-truths were deployed to make the point, such as “Nick Clegg is refusing to rule out a back room deal to put the Tories into power.” They could also have said Nick’s refusing to rule out a deal …

Posted in General Election | Tagged lord adonis and oxford east | 11 Comments

3 to see: Lib Dem #GE2010 campaign coverage (18/4/10)

By Stephen Tall | Sun 18th April 2010 - 2:15 pm

Pushed for time, but want to keep up-to-date with how the campaign’s going? Here are today’s must-reads …

(Actually it’s hard to avoid coverage of the Lib Dems today, no matter which paper you pick).

Nick Clegg’s success built on an already incoming tide (John Curtice, Telegraph)

Nick Clegg seized his chance, his appeal summed up by the one-liner, “the more they argue with each other, the more they sound exactly the same”. … Today’s ICM poll for The Sunday Telegraph – much of it conducted just before the leaders’ debate, though some afterwards – confirms that Nick Clegg’s success built upon

…

Posted in General Election | 2 Comments

The LSE wants your leaflets

By Mark Pack | Sun 18th April 2010 - 1:20 pm

A quick message from one of my old places of work, the London School of Economics:

On the campaign trail: help LSE build our election collections

The London School of Economics Archive is collecting election addresses and publicity materials produced by parliamentary candidates in the run-up to May’s general election. Please send them to us at:

Freepost RSHB-UHHY-RTSG
Archives and Rare Books
LSE Library
10 Portugal Street
London WC2A 2HD

The LSE Library has been collecting general election ephemera in this way since 1945. We now hold over 15,000 items covering the whole of the UK which includes material from minority parties and independents as well as the …

Posted in General Election | 1 Comment

Two Conservative problems: Iain Duncan Smith and Boris Johnson

By Mark Pack | Sun 18th April 2010 - 11:50 am

There’s no doubt that many Tories are itching to shout “soft on criminals! soft on immigrants!” at the Liberal Democrats over the next few days.

One slight problem with the targets of choice: the Lib Dem policies on prison sentences and tackling the problem of illegal immigration. You see, those shouts of outrage should also be directed at Iain Duncan Smith (that well known soggy liberal who believes short prison sentences should be scrapped), not to mention notorious left-winger Boris Johnson (who believes in earned routes to citizenship for illegal immigrants).

I’m sure that will happen. Of course. No doubt about it.

Posted in General Election | Tagged boris johnson and iain duncan smith | 1 Comment

Opinion: Making the case for liberal interventionism

By Fred Carver | Sun 18th April 2010 - 11:00 am

I’ve just had the following article published in the “Rhode Island Provident” of all places:

You would be forgiven for having been taken by surprise by the revolution in Kyrgyzstan. A few Scrabble enthusiasts may have been rubbing their hands at the news that (now that Mattel are allowing the use of proper nouns) the tiny mountainous nation in Central Asia will earn you 80 points for just one vowel – more if you can snag a triple word score tile. However, for the most part Kyrgyzstan has been unnoticed by the rest of the world.

It is now the site of

…

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged kyrgyzstan | 9 Comments

It’s been another great week for George Osborne

By Stephen Tall | Sun 18th April 2010 - 9:45 am

You may ask what could have inspired me to write such a headline. Well, it’s none other than George himself.

As Iain Martin has blogged – twice, he found the Tory shadow chancellor’s state of denial so bizarre – George Osborne has issued a message to Tory supporters assuring them:

It’s been another great week for our campaign.”

Hmmm, and “Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?”

But then it’s not been a good day for George, having already launched friendly fire against Boris Johnson by attacking the Tory London mayor’s own policy of an amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Posted in General Election | Tagged boris johnson, george osborne and immigration | 6 Comments

Daily View: the poster special

By Mark Pack | Sun 18th April 2010 - 9:00 am

Here’s a better way to spend a few minutes than reading my Sunday morning post.

Take this window poster, print it off (preferably on a colour printer) and stick it in your window.

(Why? Because the more people see that friends and neighbours support Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats, the more they are likely to do so themselves.)

Then help spread the message by sending a tweet or setting your Facebook status along these lines:

People are flocking to #LibDems. Help keep it going with poster at http://bit.ly/libdemposter – print off + stick up! #iagreewithnick

Hat-tip: Stuart Bonar

Posted in Daily View | 3 Comments

Mick Bates to face assault charge

By The Voice | Sun 18th April 2010 - 8:30 am

WalesOnline reports:

LIBERAL Democrat AM Mick Bates has been suspended by the party after it was confirmed he will face prosecution for assault following a late night incident in Cardiff city centre.

Joanne Foster, chief executive of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, issued a statement which said: “This afternoon, Mick Bates was told by South Wales Police that he will be summonsed at a future date for various offences following an incident in Cardiff on January 20. The Welsh Liberal Democrats regard this matter with the utmost seriousness. Therefore, Mr Bates’ membership of the Welsh Liberal Democrats has been suspended, pending the

…

Posted in Wales | Tagged mick bates | 7 Comments

Poll surge continues: is this 2003 or 1974?

By Mark Pack | Sat 17th April 2010 - 8:22 pm

“I will only really believe it when I see it in print!” – so read a text message to me from one of the party’s senior campaign strategists after news started spreading about the latest poll:

BPIX/Mail on Sunday: Lib Dem 32%, Conservative 31%, Labour 28%
ComRes/Independent/Mirror: Conservative 31%, Lib Dem 29%, Labour 27%
ICM/Sunday Telegraph: Conservative 34%, Labour 29%, Lib Dem 27%
OnePoll/People: Lib Dem 33%, Conservative 27%, Labour 23%
YouGov/Sunday Times: Conservative 33%, Labour 30%, Lib Dem 29%

The YouGov poll gives Nick Clegg the eye-watering personal ratings on doing well/badly as party leader of 81% versus 9%. At the height of the Iraq …

Posted in General Election and Polls | Tagged charles kennedy and nick clegg | 46 Comments

Welcome to the new bloggers…

By Mark Pack | Sat 17th April 2010 - 6:20 pm

Four blogs have recently joined Ryan’s Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

Dale Cox – http://liberalendevour.blogspot.com/ – on Wednesday he wrote, “A good day to be a Liberal Democrat”; not much has changed since.
Gary Watts – http://gwatts4council.wordpress.com/ – the Gary for Glebe Ward blog is about Gary, who is campaigning for Glebe Ward. Ronseal would be proud.
James Ogley – http://jamesthevicar.com/wordpress/ – having started blogging in February 2003, he probably wins the prize for longeste pause before joining the aggregator. Shame for James that it’s an imaginary prize.
Matthew Holden – http://matthewholden.wordpress.com/ – another local election candidate who has taken to blogging to supplement his campaign.

Good luck to all the new bloggers, and why not take a moment to pop over to their blogs, take a read and post a comment?

Whether you are a new or experience blogger yourself, you may also find our compilation of “how to blog” posts useful:

Posted in Online politics | Tagged blogging | Leave a comment

A new party in Defence of the Realm?

By Dom Newton | Sat 17th April 2010 - 5:20 pm

I was really pleased to hear Nick Clegg raise the issue of Trident and the treatment of our troops during the first TV debate. For too long, the defence debate has been dominated by the Tories, claiming to be the only party who understands defence, and Labour who are happy to use troops but aren’t interested in where they live, how much they’re paid or what happens to them when they get home.

Successive defence reviews in the 1990s tore the heart out of the military without really addressing the key issue of what armed forces are used for …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged nick clegg and trident | 2 Comments

Every single Lib Dem vote is a vote for change

By Richard Flowers | Sat 17th April 2010 - 3:14 pm

There are only EVER two stories in an election: CHANGE or MORE OF THE SAME.

The BIG difference that Nick Clegg’s acknowledged win in the Leader’s Debate has made is that many people now realise that while the Labservatives are more of the same old sleaze and spin, EVERY vote for a Liberal Democrat is a VOTE FOR CHANGE.

I’ll say that again:

EVERY SINGLE VOTE FOR A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT IS A VOTE FOR CHANGE.

This may just be the ONE election under our corrupt and broken electoral system where EVERY VOTE COUNTS.

Here’s why:

If you vote for Liberal Democrats you GET Liberal Democrats –

These

…

Posted in News | Tagged david maclean, higher education, Scotland, tuition fees and universities | 4 Comments

The LDV Saturday caption competition – the “David Cameron sucks bitter lemon” edition

By Stephen Tall | Sat 17th April 2010 - 11:45 am

There’s no prize at stake – just the opportunity to prove you’re wittier than any other LDV reader …

Here’s Tory leader David Cameron responding to Nick Clegg’s stellar performance in the first televised leaders debate. What might he be thinking?

The winner of our most recent caption competition, the “Why David Heath’s not bitter” edition last month – according to The Voice’s judging panel of one – was this old-ones-are-the-best from Simon Titley.

Posted in Caption Comp | Tagged david cameron | 19 Comments

Opinion: Yes, we can – let’s go for gold!

By Stephen Chidgey | Sat 17th April 2010 - 10:30 am

How many times are we reminded and told the Liberal Democrats can’t and won’t win, or that a Liberal Democrat vote is a wasted vote? Too many times, I suggest.

It’s a message that was suggested glibly by none other than John Humphreys on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme earlier this week, in a blatantly unfair remark. Too often the BBC, which is supposed to be impartial, allows commentators to deride and discount the Lib Dems as somehow irrelevant compared to the other two major parties.

It really is time to challenge such comments, and, in the aftermath of Nick …

Posted in Op-eds | 9 Comments

Daily Mail: big boost for Lib Dems in poll – but editorial line even more striking

By Mark Pack | Sat 17th April 2010 - 9:16 am

There’s straight-forward good news for the Liberal Democrats in today’s Daily Mail:

A Harris poll for the Daily Mail, the first in-depth survey of the public response, showed him decisively ahead of David Cameron and Gordon Brown on measures of energy, honesty and strength.

The survey of over 1,000 people who watched the clash found 32 per cent intended to back Mr Clegg’s LibDems – level with the Tories – and just 26 per cent Labour.

Those poll results are dramatic – and reflect what we’ve seen in other polls too. But most striking is the Daily Mail’s …

Posted in General Election | Tagged daily mail, journalism and the sun | 29 Comments

Serious about fairness, serious about power

By Stephen Tall | Sat 17th April 2010 - 8:45 am

I almost had an article published on the Guardian’s Comment Is Free website on Wednesday, marking the launch of the Lib Dem manifesto. For convoluted reasons it never saw the light of web – but most of it stands the test of time. Except perhaps the line suggesting the party could never hope for Nick Clegg to be as well liked as his predecessor: that’s the power of television for you.

Quite rightly, many wise (and not necessarily old) heads have been counselling caution following the last 24 hours explosively positive headlines for the Lib Dems. The party has enjoyed polling …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged general election manifesto | 2 Comments

The #GE2010 Golden Dozen: pick of the Lib Dem blogs (16th April)

By Stephen Tall | Sat 17th April 2010 - 12:35 am

During the election campaign Lib Dem Voice is each day highlighting six blog-posts from the Lib Dem Blogs Aggregator which we think are well worth reading. But as the last 24 hours has been a little bit special, we’re doubling that to a golden dozen today.

Here’s our pick from 16th April …

Nick Clegg wins last night’s Leader Debate (Lynne Featherstone)
“It can be different,” says Nick.

Did you see a debate? (Malcolm Gladwell)
Not everyone enjoyed it: “I wasn’t happy with this debate. I felt we were getting hundreds of soundbites that came so thick and fast that none really meant …

Posted in General Election | 3 Comments

What challenges might the future bring?

By Alex Foster | Fri 16th April 2010 - 10:40 pm

Challenge #1 – the electoral system

I nearly wrote this a few weeks ago, at which point it would have looked prophetic – writing it now just looks like I’m crowbarring it on the back of the rather sensational Yougov / Sun poll, news of which is breaking on Twitter.

Any number of people have taken the poll figures, Con: 33 (-4); Lab: 28 (-3); Lib Dem: 30 (+8), plugged them into UK Polling Report’s uniform swing calculator, and reeled, aghast at the revelation that our awful electoral system is so completely bust that it’s conceivable that the party …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged electoral reform, establishment, expectations, facebook, rage against the machine, stv-mmc and stv-mmc-ftw | 4 Comments

YouGov puts Lib Dems second, all three parties within margin of error

By Mark Pack | Fri 16th April 2010 - 10:16 pm

Time to say, “Oh sod it” to the usual rule on The Voice of not reporting individual polls on headline voting intentions:

Conservative: 33%
Liberal Democrat: 30%
Labour: 28%
Others: 9%

Fieldwork: 15-16 April.

The last time the party was this high in the polls was after Sarah Teather’s victory in the Brent East by-election, when YouGov made it C32, L31, LD30 and ICM had all three parties tied on 31%.

The next round of phone calls between party press officers and the media could be quite fun. What was that about giving the third-placed party less media coverage?

Of course, in the past poll surges have …

Posted in General Election and Polls | Tagged brent east, sarah teather and yougov | 20 Comments

LibLink: Stephen Tall on Nick Clegg’s debate performance

By NewsHound | Fri 16th April 2010 - 9:50 pm

Go on, try to guess what LDV Co-Editor Stephen Tall thought of Nick Clegg’s performance in the televised Prime Ministerial debate yesterday…

Even if you can guess the answer, Stephen’s piece on Comment is Free is well worth a read for the analysis it gives of why the debate went the way it did:

At least in part, it’s the practice that the Lib Dem leader has put in. I don’t mean the intensive “debate camp” cramming all three leaders have undertaken in recent weeks, but rather the scores of town hall meetings he’s been holding up and down the country since

…

Posted in News | Tagged leaders tv debate, nick clegg and stephen tall | Leave a comment

First election debate: winners and losers

By Mark Pack | Fri 16th April 2010 - 9:35 pm

Now the dust is starting to settle after the first debate, who are the winners and losers – aside from the party leaders?

Winner – liberalism
Loser – hostility to foreigners

Praising some aspects of immigration, talking about no like-for-like replacement of Trident, pledging to scrap tuition fees, promising to cut taxes for most by raising taxes for the very rich – Nick Clegg won the debate not by abandoning policies for some mushy middle ground, but by sticking to core liberal beliefs. Those beliefs were carefully wrapped in language and arguments designed to be appeal to a wide audience – but …

Posted in General Election and Op-eds | Tagged david cameron, gordon brown, iain dale, john sharkey, leaders tv debate, nick clegg and tim montgomerie | 2 Comments

Clegg commits to Digital Economy Act repeals

By Mark Pack | Fri 16th April 2010 - 9:14 pm

Doing the rounds of online news today has been Nick Clegg’s opposition to the Digital Economy Act:

Lib Dems will call for repeal of Digital Economy Act
Nick Clegg outlines fears over controversial new laws

The phrase “repeal the Digital Economy Act/Bill” has become a bit of a shorthand, often being used to mean “repeal the controversial bits” – either as a piece of verbal shorthand or because so much attention has focused on those parts that people using the phrase aren’t aware there is rather more to the Act. So I’ve double-checked Nick’s full views and they do draw the sensible distinction:

It

…

Posted in News | Tagged digital economy bill and nick clegg | 9 Comments

Opinion: Cameron’s Gaffe – is China a nuclear threat to the UK?

By Philip Young | Fri 16th April 2010 - 4:30 pm

During the big debate, David Cameron slipped up when pushed by Nick Clegg on the Trident nuclear missile fleet.

I will keep our independent nuclear defence system, said Cameron – forgetting for a moment that Trident is a dual-key with the Americans, it can’t ever be fired without their agreement, and we are totally beholden to them, despite spending the money with them in the first place. But Cameron added:

Are we really happy to say that we’d give up our independent nuclear deterrent when we don’t know what is going to happen with Iran, we can’t be certain of the

…

Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | Tagged china and david cameron | 10 Comments

Op-eds

Keep the earnings link: don’t repeat the mistakes of the 80s (Chris Perry)
Where have we heard this one before? Labour and electoral reform (Jack Meredith)
A national care service – questions for Burnham (and us) (Ruth Bright)
Opportunity at the heart of our vision in local government (Callum Robertson)
Vince Cable writes: Drill, baby, drill…or not (Vince Cable)

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Vince Cable writes: Drill, baby, drill…or not

Lib Dems must do better on Burnham

Britain should be proud, but never afraid of the stranger

Lib Dem Women: Amplifying women’s voices at Conference

Believe in Fairness

Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #165

LibLink: James Graham – A new politics is up for grabs

“Rising stars face questions on Tory community work”

Opinion: It’s all very well agreeing now Gordon, but after 13 years how can your party be the change we need?

The Cut-Out Debate Question … How would you change a broken light bulb?

Conservative in trouble over fake names on tax letter

Dear Labour Party, You’re messing with my head

3 to see: Lib Dem #GE2010 campaign coverage (18/4/10)

The LSE wants your leaflets

Two Conservative problems: Iain Duncan Smith and Boris Johnson

Opinion: Making the case for liberal interventionism

It’s been another great week for George Osborne

Daily View: the poster special

Mick Bates to face assault charge

Poll surge continues: is this 2003 or 1974?

Welcome to the new bloggers…

A new party in Defence of the Realm?

Every single Lib Dem vote is a vote for change

The LDV Saturday caption competition – the “David Cameron sucks bitter lemon” edition

Opinion: Yes, we can – let’s go for gold!

Daily Mail: big boost for Lib Dems in poll – but editorial line even more striking

Serious about fairness, serious about power

The #GE2010 Golden Dozen: pick of the Lib Dem blogs (16th April)

What challenges might the future bring?

YouGov puts Lib Dems second, all three parties within margin of error

LibLink: Stephen Tall on Nick Clegg’s debate performance

First election debate: winners and losers

Clegg commits to Digital Economy Act repeals

Opinion: Cameron’s Gaffe – is China a nuclear threat to the UK?

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