Liberal Democrat Voice

Margaret Moran makes £177,000 profit on tax-payer funded house

By Mark Pack | Sat 10th April 2010 - 5:20 pm

MPs’ expenses – the scandal that just keeps on giving:

MPs’ expenses: Margaret Moran sells taxpayer-funded Luton home for £177,000 profit

The MP for Luton South, who was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party over the expenses and lobbying scandals, bought the semi-detached property for £72,995.

She “flipped” her second home designation to the house for just one year but in that time used £22,341 of public money on it, which included the installation of a new central heating system and bathroom, a complete overhaul of the garden and the redecoration of several rooms…

Her three-bedroom house is now being sold for £250,000, making

…

Posted in News | Tagged andy strange, luton south, margaret moran, mps expenses and qurban hussain | Leave a comment

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Attention! The Tories’ deficit disorder.

By Stephen Tall | Sat 10th April 2010 - 3:20 pm

Cross-posted from the International Business Times:

It’s not often you’ll find me agreeing with Labour’s uber-spin-doctor, and Tony Blair’s apologist-in-chief, Alastair Campbell. But precisely because he helped write the New Labour election-winning manual, he is highly attuned to the failings in the Conservatives’ attempts to plagiarise it, and in particular David Cameron’s and George Osborne’s habit of mistaking tactics for strategy.

The latest example he highlights on his always-entertaining blog is the Tories’ attempts to force Labour onto the defensive by promising to reverse the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions:

The Tories assume that if they get a good

…

Posted in Op-eds | 5 Comments

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

By Stephen Tall | Sat 10th April 2010 - 1:55 pm

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

The UK’s only hope is a Treasury of National Unity, say Lib Dems (Guardian)

Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable has called for a cross-party “Treasury of national unity” in an interview with the Graunad today – but it’s his onslaught on the business leaders who last week paraded in favour of the Tories’ unfunded NIC tax-cut that’s grabbed the headlines:

“It is a sideshow, a diversion from the central issues. I think we went into this election with general agreement that there

…

Posted in General Election | 2 Comments

Pollwatch Day 4 #GE2010 – Lib Dems at 20%, Lab 30%, Tories 38% (still)

By Stephen Tall | Sat 10th April 2010 - 12:20 pm

(Actually Saturday is Day 5, so please pretend I remembered to set this live on Friday night as intended).

Three new polls today, all with positive news for the Lib Dems:

All moves are within the margin of error, so it would be rash to read too much into them. But that said, it’s notable that seven of the last 10 polls have shown the Lib Dems at 20% …

Posted in General Election and Polls | Tagged nick clegg | 4 Comments

Digital Economy Bill: the key decision to be made after the election #debill

By Mark Pack | Sat 10th April 2010 - 11:20 am

Although Labour, with Conservative support, managed to ram through the Digital Economy Bill, that’s not quite the end of the matter as far as votes in Parliament are concerned.

That’s because one concession the Liberal Democrats did manage to extract was the provision that no ‘technical measures’ (i.e. cutting off people’s internet connections) can be introduced for at least a year, and only then can be done so after a period of analysis and consultation. Parliament will get a chance to vote on these measure – even if the Government is a Tory or Labour one that doesn’t want to change …

Posted in News | Tagged digital economy bill and lynne featherstone | 4 Comments

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Lib Dems attack Tories’ tax-war on widows, working couples and jilted wives

By Stephen Tall | Sat 10th April 2010 - 10:50 am

A tax-break for married couples, is how the Tories are trying to spin it. The reality could scarcely be different – here are the groups of people the Tories are now officially classifying as undeserving:

Two married teachers bringing up a child.
A co-habiting couple who have lived together for years but not married.
People whose partners have abandoned them and their children.
A widow whose husband has died in Afghanistan.

But perhaps I’m being unfair … after all the Tories will reward some people at the expense of those clearly undeserving groups:

Those happily married for 50 years.
Over a million people in Britain who have separated but are still legally married.
Somebody who abandons their partner and children and then remarries.

The Tories’ feeble defence of their Edwardian tax-war on groups in society they regard as unworthy is that it their £150 a year will help solve the much-talked about ‘Broken Britain’ – so what will the Tory policy do for those living in poverty?

Posted in General Election | Tagged conservative party, featured, marriage and tax | 19 Comments

Opinion: Debates – the first two questions count most

By Antony Hook | Sat 10th April 2010 - 10:20 am

Amongst the plethora of writing on the 2008 US Election, I came across this observation:

“After every debate the media narrative was determined by the first two questions and answers.”

(J. Heilemann & M. Halperin, “Race of A Lifetime: How Obama Won the White House”, Penguin Viking).

I decided to see if that hypothesis holds true for the recent Chancellors’ Debate as a clue as to whether it will apply to our forthcoming Party Leaders’ Debates.

The first question, asked by a trainee solicitor, in the Chancellors’ Debate was,

“This is a job interview; what personal qualities do you have that make you better …

Posted in General Election and Op-eds | Tagged alistair darling, george osborne, leaders tv debate, nick clegg and vince cable | 1 Comment

Missteps on the online campaign trail

By Mark Pack | Sat 10th April 2010 - 9:50 am

Although I’m an enthusiast for the possibilities for sensible use of the online world in political campaigning, it doesn’t always go right for people:

John Prescott’s botched attempt to encourage ‘click fraud’ on Conservative adverts – unlikely to have cost the Conservatives much, if any, money but certainly earned him a round of bad publicity for Labour.
The Conservative Party has slashed its online fundraising targets, reinforcing the general message that whilst talking up the marvels of

…

Posted in General Election, News and Online politics | Tagged john prescott, lynne featherstone, stephen timms, stuart maclennan and twitter | Leave a comment

How to get your picture to appear next to your comments on Lib Dem Voice

By Mark Pack | Sat 10th April 2010 - 8:20 am

It’s been a while since we last reminded readers about this, so now seems a good time to publish the information again. You may have noticed that next to some people’s comments is a small picture of themselves, such as:

If you want a picture to appear next to your comments you need to do two things.

Visit Gravatar.com, create an account

…

Posted in Site news | Leave a comment

The #GE2010 Golden Half-Dozen: pick of the Lib Dem blogs (9th April)

By Stephen Tall | Fri 9th April 2010 - 11:30 pm

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.

Here’s our pick from 8th April …

Stuart MacLennan: Why was a Labour candidate talking about “chavs”? (Jonathan Calder)

Protesting against the frankieboyleisation of society: “What is a Labour candidate – a Labour candidate – doing talking about “chavs”? Even in the post-Blair Labour Party, surely its candidates should have some vestigial sense of being on the side of the workers?”

Vote tactically for usssssss (Alix Mortimer)

Not enamoured of Adonis: “Get away from

…

Posted in General Election | Leave a comment

Racist comment not such a problem for UKIP after all

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 8:51 pm

I’d previously blogged about UKIP Parliamentary candidate for Ilford South and London chair Paul Wiffen being suspended by the party after the Community Care site reported, “A senior UK Independence Party member has posted a racist comment”. Not just a brief comment, but a multiple-sentence rant about Romanians, Muslims and Africans, with an extra general insult thrown in at the end.

Now however UKIP has decided to reinstate him. As the local newspaper reports:

Mr Wiffen, who is chair of UKIP London, was reinstated after saying sorry for the email and following an internal party inquiry.

Posted in News | Tagged ilford south, paul wiffen and ukip | Leave a comment

LibLink: Craig Murray – British democracy: no better than Uzbekistan’s

By NewsHound | Fri 9th April 2010 - 6:30 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free, blogging Lib Dem and former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray argues that – with postal ballot-rigging, partisan officials, censorship of candidates, etc – no independent observer could call our elections free and fair. Here’s an excerpt:

In my diplomatic career, I spent a great deal of time assessing the democratic merit of elections in various countries abroad. That gives me a peculiar perspective in looking at elections in the UK, and wondering what a foreign observer would make of them. I can do this also with the insight of having twice run

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged craig murray | 33 Comments

The LDV Friday Five: 9 April 2010

By Helen Duffett | Fri 9th April 2010 - 5:00 pm

It’s Friday. It’s five o’clock. Here’s a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week:

5 top reader search returns to get to LDV

(excluding Liberal Democrat Voice or its variants)

Posted in Friday Five | 1 Comment

TV debates: some clues to likely political impact

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 4:20 pm

The latest ICM poll for The Guardian gives some pointers:

Very high viewing figures: 29% say they will watch all three and a further 31% say they will watch one or two
Even higher viewing figures amongst older people (and older people are more likely to vote): 23% of 18-24 say they will watch all three, but this rises to 40% of the 65+
Women are less likey to watch the debates (important as Lib Dem swing voters are usually disproportionately female): 42% say they will watch none compared to 35% of men

The last point may be influenced by childcare responsibilities as …

Posted in General Election and Polls | Tagged icm and leaders tv debate | 1 Comment

Well fancy that! Another unreported poll finding

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 3:50 pm

Continuing my occasional series of opinion poll results that newspapers have paid for but then not published (all for reasons of space you understand, nothing to do with editorial lines and not liking the result, oh no of course not) we have the latest YouGov poll for The Sun:

Do you think the following will or will not happen if the Conservatives win the coming election?

The number of crimes committed each year will fall: 22% will, 47% will not – net -25%
The quality of education in state schools will improve: 25% will, 46% will not – net -21%
Britain’s economy will …

Posted in News | Tagged conservative party, journalism, the sun and yougov | 2 Comments

Labour campaigning takes an unusual turn

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 3:19 pm

Across the country, election address leaflets from the Labour Party have been dropping through letterboxes – even though the general election campaign has not yet formally started.

These leaflets – delivered free for candidates by the Royal Mail – usually only appear during the campaign itself as candidates make use of the free service which delivers one leaflet from each candidate to each voter.

However, Labour has made use of the special provision which allows leaflets to be delivered earlier, provided the party commits to paying the postage if the candidate in them ends up not being the party’s candidate at the …

Posted in Election law and General Election | Tagged labour party | 9 Comments

Brown: Vote Lib Dem where Labour can’t win

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 3:11 pm

That’s the headline over on Politics.co.uk:

Voters should support the Liberal Democrats in constituencies where Labour cannot win, Gordon Brown has indicated, further fuelling speculation that Labour expects to be unable to form a majority government after polling day.

In an exclusive interview with politics.co.uk the prime minister gave his strongest signal yet that voters should consider tactical voting in order to prevent the Conservatives forming the next government…

“I want everybody to vote Labour and I want people to vote for our party, and I want our vote to be the highest and I want our number of seats to be

…

Posted in General Election | Tagged gordon brown | 8 Comments

LibLink: Chris Rennard – It’s Lib Dems v more of the same

By NewsHound | Fri 9th April 2010 - 1:45 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free website, former Lib Dem chief exective, Lord (Chris) Rennard – not masterminding the party’s campaign for the first time in the modern party’s existence – has an article analysing the Lib Dems’ poition on the key election themes of tax, trust and reform. Here’s an excerpt:

It’s often said that there are really only two political messages in any election. Opposition parties say “it is time for a change”, while governing parties say: “Don’t let the others wreck it.” Liberal Democrat strategy in the first week has aimed to bracket Labour and the Conservatives

…

Posted in General Election and LibLink | Tagged chris rennard | 1 Comment

Top bankers want a Cameron victory

By Iain Roberts | Fri 9th April 2010 - 12:15 pm

Remember those bankers who took us into the worst worldwide recession in decades by putting their own desire to make pots of cash over the need for financial stability? Well, they’re keen on David Cameron’s Conservatives winning the election. Wonder why?

I guess the Lib Dem proposals to put the interests of ordinary people above those of wealthy bankers were never going to go down well with them.

Posted in General Election | 8 Comments

Opinion: A child’s perspective of the election

By Maelo Manning | Fri 9th April 2010 - 10:45 am

I am a 10 year old girl and I want to offer a child’s perspective of the election. I watched the last Prime Minister’s Question Time and National Insurance tax was the main subject of the debate. In fact, it seems to be the main subject of the election so far.

Is this election between Red and Blue over the effects of the recession on big business? Let me tell you what this election means for a child starting out in life. Big businesses recruit graduates from red brick universities. These universities, in turn, recruit students who are capable of undergoing a tough degree course. These students often come from private schools or the grammar state school systems. Where does the fairness exist?

Elections should be about change and a vote for a better run country on matters such as the NHS, housing, poverty, climate change, help for children, crime, security, personal liberty, terrorism, disability issues, equal rights and globalisation.

Posted in Op-eds | 20 Comments

3 to see: Lib Dem #GE2010 campaign coverage (9/4/10)

By Stephen Tall | Fri 9th April 2010 - 10:00 am

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

Cameron adviser discloses cuts detail (FT.com)
Anyone who heard David Cameron’s BBC Radio 4 Today Programme interview today will have heard him squirming when asked to confirm the report in the Financial Times today that the Tories’ tax-cuts could lead to the loss of 40,000 jobs.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Sir Peter Gershon, the former government adviser who has provided the blueprint for the Conservative leader’s efficiency plans, disclosed for the first time how the party’s proposed £12bn savings should

…

Posted in General Election | 1 Comment

Dear Nick Robinson…

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

Dear Nick,

Sorry to be boring and quote things like numbers and evidence.

But on the 10pm news you said, “I think both sides agree the Tories have won the politics of the first week”.

I’d have thought the public should get a look in on this and you know what the public’s verdict is?

By a slim lead (within the margin of error, to be fair) the public says that the Liberal Democrats have run the most impressive campaign so far (see http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/2566).

Makes the idea that the Tories have won the politics look a bit different, I’d have thought?

Yours,

One of those horrible …

Posted in General Election | Tagged bbc and nick robinson | 4 Comments

Tory VAT tax rises and Michael Caine … the spoof posters collection

By Stephen Tall | Fri 9th April 2010 - 8:20 am

On the day that the Lib Dems tried to smoke out the Tories’ true position on whether they’ll jack-up VAT by 3% – annual cost to the average household, £389 – to pay for their unfunded tax-cuts, David Cameron was joined by a man worth £45m who rather likes the Tories’ promise to cut taxes for the wealthiest at the expense of everyone else.

Full marks to Lib Dem HQ who were smartly on the case to splice the two stories memorably together:

Lib Dem blogger Mark Thompson had his own pithy take on it:

Posted in General Election and Humour | Tagged conservative party, featured, mark thompson and vat | 7 Comments

LibLink: Evan Harris – Here comes the Lib Dem science

By NewsHound | Fri 9th April 2010 - 7:45 am

Over at TheEngineer.co.uk, Lib Dem science spokesman Evan Harris – the party’s star Twitterer – sets out the party’s policy on all things scientific. Here’s an excerpt:

We have long-argued that the UK has become over-reliant on the financial services as a foundation for growth; that a knowledge-intensive economy is not only more reliable, but also more rewarding and a better strategic base in the long-term. It is the scientist and the engineer who will ultimately develop and build the supply of clean energy we will need, the artificial organisms key to future biotech, or the robotics crucial to our

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged evan harris and science | Leave a comment

Election law round-up: counting news and postal vote concerns

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 12:33 am

The Telegraph has run a story highlighting the number of postal voters who fail to complete the paperwork correctly and so lose their vote:

The Electoral Commission found that five per cent of all postal votes cast were found to be unsafe, because people’s signatures did not match or they gave the wrong date of birth.

Translated nationally this would mean that as many as 240,000 voters – one per cent of all those cast – could be discounted.

Although the word “unsafe” is used, the evidence is that it is innocent mistakes which cause the paperwork to be wrong. For example, …

Posted in Election law | Leave a comment

If you ram through a law about illegal copying online…

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 12:07 am

… the last you thing you want is to be caught red-handed indulging in a bit of, er…, illegal copying online.

Step forward and take a bow: the Labour Party (front bench voted for the Digital Economy Bill)

Followed by a bow please from the Conservative Party (front bench voted for the Digital Economy Bill)

For as The Frontline reports:

Despite months promoting the rights of copyright holders with its Digital Economy Bill, the government has caused something of a furore after revelations that its recently crowdsourced campaign poster has breached copyright laws.

The poster is intended to parody Tory leader David Cameron by

…

Posted in News | Tagged david cameron, digital economy bill and peter mandelson | 3 Comments

Pollwatch Day 3 #GE2010 – Lib Dems at 20%, Lab 30%, Tories 38% (still)

By Stephen Tall | Thu 8th April 2010 - 11:10 pm

Just one new poll tonight:

YouGov in the Sun … CON 40% (+3%), LAB 31% (-1%), LIB DEM 18% (-1%)

All moves are, of course, within the margin of error. So, yes, it could be the Tory lead has widened. Or it might have not. That’s the joy of polls – read into them what you choose.

This latest survey hasn’t yet made it into Anthony Wells’ UK Polling Report ‘poll of polls’, but it’s not going to make a huge difference, I don’t think, so here’s the score as of 8th April:

Con 38% (n/c), Lab 30% (n/c), Lib Dem 20% (n/c)

Very …

Posted in General Election and Polls | 1 Comment

The #GE2010 Golden Half-Dozen: pick of the Lib Dem blogs (8th April)

By Stephen Tall | Thu 8th April 2010 - 10:00 pm

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.

Here’s our pick from 8th April …

Help the Labservatives choose their next Cabinet (Caron Lindsay)
Highlighting the latest instalment of the Lib Dems’ fantastic Labservative bit of mischief: “in a radical act of benevolence, their leader Gorvid Camerown has offered you the chance to help choose his next Cabinet.”

The Digital Economy Bill #debill (Andy Strange)
Depressed by Parliament’s failure to respond to voters’ concerns: “The Liberal Democrats, despite our

…

Posted in News | Leave a comment

‘Great wife, not so sure about my Chancellor’: what we learnt today

By Mark Pack | Thu 8th April 2010 - 8:20 pm

So, what did seeing the General Election campaign on TV today teach us?

1. David Cameron likes being seen with people behind in – continuing the pattern of events “in the round” with audience all around.

2. Gordon Brown likes being seen in front of a plain purple wall – that’s the common Labour backdrop at speeches and press conference, though some wheat got a look in once.

3. Samantha Cameron is doing more campaigning for the TV cameras than George Osborne – a case really of “Great wife, but not so sure about my Chancellor chap” from Cameron’s team.

Posted in General Election | Tagged david cameron, george osborne, gordon brown and samantha cameron | Leave a comment

High Court clarifies blog owners’ liability for libellous comments

By Iain Roberts | Thu 8th April 2010 - 7:50 pm

Like most blogs, Lib Dem Voice encourages and accepts contributions from far and wide. Not only do we take articles from Lib Dems and, on occasion, others, we also allow pretty much anyone to comment on blog posts.

But , if someone were to post a libellous or defamatory comment, could we be legally liable?

That’s the question the High Court has been considering in relation to an item posted on the Labourhome blog, and many site owners who might think they’re not liable may be in for a nasty shock.

In brief, a libellous post was made to the Labourhome website …

Posted in Online politics | Tagged alex hilton and labourhome | 6 Comments

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