Sara Bedford

Daily View 2×2: 30 March 2010

By Sara Bedford | Tue 30th March 2010 - 9:21 am

Today just 2250 years ago, the first sighting of what we now know as Halley’s Comet was recorded Eric Clapton becomes eligible to draw his pension, whilst it’s also ‘Happy Birthday’ to fellow sexagenarians Robbie Coltrane (60), Eddie Jordan (62) and Mervyn King (63).

Once this day in 1978, the Conservative Party announced it had recruited advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi to revamp its image and get its political message across ahead of the General Election. Politicians both within the opposition and in Prime Minister Jim Callaghan’s government criticised the Tory stance, describing it as ‘frivolous’.

Fourteen years later we saw John Major climb onto his soapbox to urge voters in Cheltenham to elect John Taylor as their MP – a mission which resulted in the election of Lib Dem Nigel Jones.

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Mark Pack

Ask the Chancellors: live blog

By Mark Pack | Mon 29th March 2010 - 7:47 pm

Here are the verdicts on how it went:

Overall verdict

Very well chaired by Krishnan Guru-Murthy. Cable frequently got applause. Darling held his ground well, but Osborne often weak and looking shifty. No-one got in a killer blow that will shift lots of people’s views, but debate will have confirmed praise for Cable and doubts about Osborne.

You can watch again Vince’s opening and closing statements.

Other people’s verdicts

  • The audience: I make it 6 rounds of applause for Cable, 3 for Darling and 1 for Osborne
  • The journalists: “Audience pretty much unanimous cable won, hacks too privately, but many sticking to party lines in

…

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NewsHound

LibLink: Danny Alexander on the party’s tax policies

By NewsHound | Mon 29th March 2010 - 7:28 pm

A while back, Left Foot Forward ran a piece attacking the party’s tax policies for not being progressive. That results in many responses around the place defending the party’s policy and today Left Foot Forward runs a piece from Danny Alexander defending the party’s policy:

As the person responsible for drafting the Liberal Democrat manifesto I wanted to respond to the report on our proposal to raise the income tax threshold to £10,000 – paid for by closing loopholes that unfairly benefit the best off, a new mansion tax, a crack down on tax avoidance and

…

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NewsHound

LibLink: Steve Webb – Indy readers ask the questions

By NewsHound | Mon 29th March 2010 - 5:45 pm

Over at The Independent, Lib Dem spokesman on Work and Pensions Steve Webb answers questions from the paper’s readers, such as ‘Aren’t you having it both ways on the deficit?’ and ‘Isn’t Clegg really a Tory?’ Here are 3 of the Q&As …

Why haven’t British politicians learned the lesson of welfare reform in Wisconsin? Cut benefits, create jobs, and end a dependency culture. Christopher Rope, Ipswich

There are plenty of people who receive benefits through no fault of their own, so how is cutting benefits across the board morally defensible? The phrase “dependency culture” is insulting to those who have poor health or family responsibilities or other perfectly good reasons for relying on what I still think of “social security”, many of whom would love to be able to get out and work. Wisconsin-style measures cut the “welfare rolls” but what happens to those people and their children then?

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Stephen Tall

Election Appeal: Help elect Sal Brinton in Watford – DONATE to her campaign TODAY

By Stephen Tall | Mon 29th March 2010 - 4:40 pm

Liberal Democrat Voice is running a special appeal to raise funds for five of the party’s very best general elections candidates – all of whom have a real chance of winning but need your help NOW to ensure they do win.

Click here to make a donation TODAY.

Today we’re highlighting the campaign of Sal Brinton, Lib Dem candidate for Watford …

Watford nearly proved to be one of the shocks of the 2005 General Election, as Sal Brinton took the Lib Dems from a distant third place to a very close second. Just 1,148 votes separate Sal from Labour Minister and

…

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Mark Pack

Lib Dem fiscal policy in a nutshell

By Mark Pack | Mon 29th March 2010 - 3:47 pm

Ahead of this evening’s debate between Alistair Darling, George Osborne and Vince Cable, you might find this little summary of the party’s fiscal policies helpful:

  • The party’s proposed tax cuts (such as raising the basic rate income tax threshold to £10,000) will be paid for by tax rises elsewhere in the system (such as ending the higher rate tax relief on pension contributions)
  • The party’s spending savings (such as scrapping ID cards) will be spent two-thirds on cutting the deficit and one-third on other policies (such as the pupil premium)

As to exactly how much savings will be identified, that in part awaits …

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Helen Duffett

New MPs’ expenses rules published – the end of second homes and first class travel

By Helen Duffett | Mon 29th March 2010 - 3:04 pm

New rules published today by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority mean that MPs will no longer be able to profit from taxpayer-funded second homes, nor claim for gardening, cleaning or first-class travel.*

However, the scheme has stopped short of a ban on MPs employing family members. Instead, no more than one “connected party” (i.e. close family member, spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner) may work for each MP, within approved salary and job description guidelines.

Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, Chair of the IPSA said,

No longer will MPs benefit from a slack allowances system. This system brings MPs’ expenses into line with those in most other areas of life. Expenses will be reimbursed only for legitimate costs, backed up by receipts.

There will be complete transparency, so that members of the public will see, in detail, expenses claimed by MPs. The rules will be backed up with tough new measures and abuse of the system will not be tolerated.

The new system is fair, workable and transparent. It will enable MPs to carry out the job we ask them to do and will provide reassurance and value for money to the tax-paying public.

Key components include:

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Stephen Tall

Vince slams Osborne’s “schoolboy economics” (and the IFS aren’t keen on the Tories’ tax plans either)

By Stephen Tall | Mon 29th March 2010 - 2:15 pm

It’s only a few hours since shadow chancellor George Osborne launched the Tories’ plans to cut Labour’s proposed increases in employers’ National Insurance, and already you can start to hear the sound of it unravelling.

First up, Vince Cable, the Lib Dems’ shadow chancellor:

This is school boy economics. When you have a £70bn permanent hole in the Government’s finances you simply can’t propose cutting tax revenue unless you spell out exactly how you are going to pay for it. The Tories say they are going to pay for a cut in National Insurance through ‘efficiency savings’, but haven’t a first

…

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Stephen Tall

Daily View 2×2: 29 March 2010 (with added poster spoofs)

By Stephen Tall | Mon 29th March 2010 - 1:45 pm

Happy Monday morning afternoon, everyone, on the day in history when the Royal Albert Hall was opened by the Royal Victoria (1871), Dr John Pemberton brewed the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta, Georgia (1886), and voters in Washington DC became eligible to vote in presidential elections (1961).

And now let’s move forward half a century, to the present day …

2 Must-Read Blog Posts

What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

Spotted any other great posts in the last day from blogs that aren’t on the aggregator? Do post up a comment sharing them with us all.

2 Big Stories

Labour launch 5 pledges; Lib Dems attack 13 wasted years

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Mark Pack

Don’t forget to get your stamps in

By Mark Pack | Mon 29th March 2010 - 11:50 am

Planning on posting out letters in April? If you’re using stamps, remember the cost of first and second class stamps goes up on Tuesday 6th April – so buy your stocks of generic 1st/2nd stamps in advance. Full details of the new prices on the Royal Mail website.

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Chris White

Opinion: As another New Labour project dies, what will replace it?

By Chris White | Mon 29th March 2010 - 10:50 am

On 31st March regional assemblies will be abolished. There will probably be neither bang nor whimper.

I will be sad. This was one of the projects of New Labour that nearly took wings. And it leaves a void in both regional governance and in our own party’s thinking on what we do about devolution.

In the longer term there are also questions about the viability of the Union – if Scotland, Wales and to a much lesser extent London are allowed (if that is the right verb) to run themselves, why can’t the rest of England? More to the point, why must …

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Mark Pack

Election timetable: this week’s deadlines

By Mark Pack | Mon 29th March 2010 - 9:55 am

Two deadlines are coming up this week:

  • Publication of notice of local government election: Not later than Monday 29 March
  • Publication of version of electoral register used for nominating general election candidates: Thursday 1 April

For a full timetable see General election and local election timetable, 2010.

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Sara Bedford

Tally Ho! Tally Ho! It’s off to vote we go!

By Sara Bedford | Mon 29th March 2010 - 9:15 am

Supporters of hunting across the country are being sent to help in the marginal seats the Conservatives need to win to form the next government, in the expectation of a free vote on hunting with dogs early in a Cameron government.

From The Independent:

The hunt chairman , Tim Page, wrote: “I would like us all to reflect on what is at stake if we do not succeed in helping get a Conservative government elected at the forthcoming general election, and, importantly with a sufficient majority to give the time to a free vote on the repeal of the Hunting Act 2004.”

He went on: “Quite honestly, it is not long-term sustainable to carry on as we are … Many of us have kept the show on the road, living for the day of repeal. The Committee of the Hunt, supporting the position of the MFHA expects everyone who hunts, whether mounted, by vehicle or on foot, to spend a minimum of two days leafleting ahead of the election being called.”

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Mark Pack

Your handy guide to how to be a journalist

By Mark Pack | Mon 29th March 2010 - 8:45 am

There’s nothing like a practical example for learning a skill. So here’s a little example of how to take a story and then carefully apply journalistic skill and judgement to make it into one of those proper stories they put in newspapers. Or something like that 🙂

The core of the story is this: child climbs up tree, child climbs down tree, stranger walks up to child, school staff walk up to stranger, stranger walks off, police have a word with stranger.

Fact 1: “At no point was any child ever stuck in a tree”.

How do you report this? Easy:

  • TEACHERS LEAVE BOY

…

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Helen Duffett

“Does the government really want to pick a fight with Joanna Lumley six weeks before a general election?”

By Helen Duffett | Sun 28th March 2010 - 10:33 pm

Joanna Lumley and Peter Carroll, founder of the Gurkha Justice campaign, are to hold a press conference tomorrow to respond to criticism of the campaign.

From yesterday’s Independent:

Joanna Lumley today hit out at what she claimed was a Government smear campaign that saw her accused of “deathly silence” over Gurkhas’ rights.

Earlier this month, defence minister Kevan Jones expressed “irritation” with the actress amid claims that Nepalese veterans had been misled and exploited. “Her deathly silence, frankly, irritates me,” he said.

But in a letter circulated today, Ms Lumley denounced the allegations.

Signed by the actress, campaigner Peter Carroll and

…

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Mark Pack

“Conservative MEPs have consistently voted against a string of measures to protect women’s rights”

By Mark Pack | Sun 28th March 2010 - 8:21 pm

So reports the Independent on Sunday:

Conservative MEPs have consistently voted against a string of measures to protect women’s rights.

Analysis of the record of 25 Tory members of the European Parliament this year shows they voted against, or abstained, eight times on issues relating to sexual equality, family-friendly working hours, maternity leave and reproductive health – often in clear defiance of official Conservative Party policy.

The MEPs also failed to back an EU resolution expressing concern about homophobic attacks in Croatia, which is seeking EU membership…

On 25 February, 22 out of 25 Tory MEPs voted against a resolution calling for the EU

…

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Mark Pack

Baby P whistleblower stands as councillor

By Mark Pack | Sun 28th March 2010 - 7:15 pm

From the Evening Standard:

The whistleblower who warned that Haringey social services were failing to protect children just six months before the death of Baby P is to stand for election there as a Liberal Democrat councillor.

Former social worker Nevres Kemal, above, who will contest the Noel Park ward, said she will try to rid the council of a culture of “lying, deception and cover-ups”.

Best of luck Nevres.

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Stephen Tall

Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #162

By Stephen Tall | Sun 28th March 2010 - 6:25 pm

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 162nd weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere … Featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (21st-27th March, 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:

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The Voice

Matthew Taylor signs up to South West Water board

By The Voice | Sun 28th March 2010 - 5:53 pm

Matthew Taylor, Lib Dem MP for Truro and Falmouth, is one of seven Lib Dems standing down at the coming election. After more than two decades in Parliament, he’s been considering what to do next – and now we know at least part of the answer, courtesy of The Western Morning News:

A CORNISH MP and critic of unfair water charging has been made a non-executive director of South West Water. Matthew Taylor, who is standing down at the next election after 23 years as the Liberal Democrat MP for Truro and St Austell, has been a vocal critic

…

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Stephen Tall

What does Zac make of the Tories’ latest nuclear policy?

By Stephen Tall | Sun 28th March 2010 - 4:25 pm

Just four months ago, the Tories’ non-dom candidate for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith, promised that his party would “ring in era of integrity” – and insisted no new nuclear power stations would be built under a Tory government.

Zac told The Guardian last December:

… that if the party sticks to its existing policy, it would never allow the building of a new nuclear power station. He said Tory policy “was to give a green light to nuclear power as long as there is no call on the taxpayer, not just in terms of building, but maintenance, security and disposal of

…

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The Voice

Lib Dems set pace in signing up for Royal British Legion pledge

By The Voice | Sun 28th March 2010 - 2:50 pm

The Royal British Legion is asking candidates from all parties to sign up to its manifesto ahead of the coming election campaign. Nick Clegg, along with the other two party leaders, has signed up to the Legion’s pledge, meeting recently with its Director General; while defence spokesman Nick Harvey has spoken at Legion fringe events.

The Legion has been keeping a tally of the proportion of MPs from each of the parties who have signed up to its manifesto – and as they comment, “Lib Dem MPs are setting the pace!”

…

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Alex Foster

Campaigners’ weather forecast

By Alex Foster | Sun 28th March 2010 - 1:11 pm

It’s lovely now! Go outside and do some leafleting!

But there is a storm coming later this week – my RSS feed of severe weather warnings tells me there are warnings in place for Tuesday from 2am to midnight for very heavy rain and even snow on high ground. So, for Tuesday, it might make sense to plan some indoor activity – preparing your leaflets, researching your stories and making some phone calls.

The warning appears to apply for from the Midlands and further north, Northern Ireland, but not Scotland, so key seats from Watford to Durham and Cardiff …

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Mark Pack

Total Politics: Dominic Carman responds to the Nick Griffin interview

By Mark Pack | Sun 28th March 2010 - 12:50 pm

Following Total Politics’s controversial decision to interview Nick Griffin, the magazine’s website is also running responses to it, including one from Dominic Carman (Lib Dem candidate for the same Barking constituency as Nick Griffin):

Take three of Griffin’s answers from the Total Politics interview and contrast them with what he told me privately:

On Afghanistan: “The only way you could win there is if you nuked it, which can’t be done.” He told me: “We should send (British) troops in to Afghanistan…and we should obliterate as many cities as it takes.”

On VAT: “We’ve never said we’re increasing VAT.” He told me: “Income

…

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Iain Roberts

When was the golden age?

By Iain Roberts | Sun 28th March 2010 - 11:43 am

In the present day, many people look back to the 1950s as the golden age: low crime, low divorce rates and a simpler life.

In the 1950s, people tended to see Victorian times as the golden age, and it’s easy to see why. After two world wars and faced with austerity Britain, the tail end rationing and an Empire in terminal decline, it must have been tempting to cast warm glances back to a time when Britain was top dog and the Empire was at its peak.

So when did people in Victorian times see as the Golden Age?

According to a …

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Sara Bedford

Conservative donor to stand against shadow minister

By Sara Bedford | Sun 28th March 2010 - 11:04 am

Stuart Wheeler, the man who gave the Conservative Party £5 million, is forming his own political party and standing for Parliament.  Prominent anti-EU campaigner Wheeler, who was expelled by the Tories last year after making a donation to UKIP, will announce tomorrow that he has set up the Trust Party and will fight Bexhill MP Greg Barker at the General Election.

The Trust Party is aiming to stand just three candidates, one each in England, Scotland and Wales. It will have a manifesto based on cleaning up the ‘corrupt’ expenses system and proposes a new Parliamentary court, with the power to jail politicians. Other ‘highlights’ of the party’s policies …

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Mark Pack

Daily View 2×2: How to make your own moving Lego barchart

By Mark Pack | Sun 28th March 2010 - 9:00 am

It’s Sunday. It’s 9am. It’s time for some serious Lego action, but first the news.

2 Must-Read Blog Posts

What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

Spotted any other great posts in the last day from blogs that aren’t on the aggregator? Do post up a comment sharing them with us all.

2 Big Stories

Landmarks go dark, millions unplug for Earth Hour

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Mark Pack

Conservative MP David Curry repays £28,000 in expenses

By Mark Pack | Sat 27th March 2010 - 6:50 pm

The Guardian had the story this week about the former chair of the House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee (yes, the former chair of the House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee):

Tory MP David Curry was today ordered to repay £28,000 and issue an apology after the Commons standards and privileges committee ruled that he had broken rules relating to parliamentary expenses.

The findings are particularly embarrassing because Curry was chairman of the committee until he stood down in November last year after he called for an investigation into the expenses allegations made against him.

He was ordered to repay £28,000

…

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Mark Pack

Nick Clegg writes to Friends of the Earth…

By Mark Pack | Sat 27th March 2010 - 4:50 pm

Over on the Friends of the Earth site they’ve published Nick Clegg’s response to their 2010 election lobbying campaign:

This election could be a turning point, not just for Britain but for the world environment. Some people think that’s overstating it, but the scientists tell us that the coming five years could be our last chance to avert dangerous climate change. That means the government we elect next has the most enormous responsibility: to provide change at home and leadership abroad to stop the disaster from happening.

I am a huge supporter of Friends of the Earth. I’ve met up with FoE

…

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The Voice

Earth Hour 2010 – Tonight at 8:30pm

By The Voice | Sat 27th March 2010 - 3:40 pm

Marcus Hickman, from wearesocial.net, highlights the aims of Saturday night’s Earth Hour, and how everyone can get involved …

Tonight at 8:30 pm people, businesses and iconic buildings around the world will switch off their lights to show the support for WWF’s Earth Hour. Participating is easy; all you have to do is sign-up and join others across the UK as they switch off for an hour tonight at 8:30pm.

Last year Earth Hour saw hundreds of millions of people across 3,000 cities and towns in 83 countries participate to show the world’s governments that climate change needs to be addressed urgently.

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Don Foster MP

Don Foster MP: Standing at football grounds

By Don Foster MP | Sat 27th March 2010 - 1:45 pm

Football fans are getting a raw deal. 1.4 million who want to play football can’t due to scant facilities. Season tickets for top clubs are a rip-off; costing 5 times more than in Spain and Italy. Disabled fans are treated shamefully. Only two Premiership Clubs meet the recommended level of number of spaces specially designed for wheelchair users. The game is disappearing from free-to-air TV.

And fans can’t stand at matches, though many want to. According to the Football Fans’ Census, 91% of fans think they should be able to choose to stand.

Of course, none of us can forget …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 11 Comments
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