Gareth Aubrey

Y Barcud Oren #13

By Gareth Aubrey | Tue 22nd December 2009 - 3:00 pm

No, you’re not dreaming, Y Barcud Oren service is resumed (now that my lecturers have, however briefly, stopped making me write essays on trust law!). And, with 2009 drawing to a close, it’s a good time to check in on how the answers to the year’s great political questions have developed.

Take Me To Your Cliché

2009’s first great saga was Rhodri Morgan’s retirement and, eventually, the race to succeed him. But to say that nothing happened in the Welsh Labour leadership contest would be an insult to quantum mechanics. The three people we expected to run ran, the process …

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Posted in Op-eds and Wales | Tagged | Leave a comment
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Robert Sharp

Libel law needs major reform

By Robert Sharp | Tue 22nd December 2009 - 1:25 pm

The clamour for a change to our pernicious libel laws grows louder every day.  In November, Index on Censorship and English PEN published Free Speech is Not For Sale, a report into the state of libel in England & Wales, and the bizarre phenomenon of libel tourism.  Impressed by this report, Jack Straw announced the creation of a working group to deliver reform.  Lib Dem peer Lord Lester announced on the BBC Radio 4 PM programme he will begin drafting a libel bill, and MPs have begun to sign EDM 423 (tabled by Dr …

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Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Tagged , , and | 7 Comments
Danny Alexander MP

Danny Alexander writes … Campaigning on Our Manifesto

By Danny Alexander MP | Tue 22nd December 2009 - 11:50 am

On Friday, Nick emailed all members to outline our position on the abolition of tuition fees. It was great to see our position, agreed by both the Federal Policy Committee and the Parliamentary Party, broadly welcomed on LDV and elsewhere.

Saddling students with huge debts as they leave universities, particularly at a time when many are failing to find jobs through no fault of their own, is clearly wrong. And the prospect of such debts putting talented young people off going to university is equally wrong. That is why our plan to scrap tuition fees over 6 years from the election will be one of a very small number of core commitments in our manifesto.

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Posted in General Election and Op-eds | Tagged , , , , and | 9 Comments
Philip Young

Why shouldn’t Buckingham Liberal Democrats join in?

By Philip Young | Tue 22nd December 2009 - 10:45 am

The accepted wisdom is that it is “protocol” not to oppose the Speaker. Yet there are plenty of examples that this is simply not true – Selwyn Lloyd, for one, was opposed, and there are other examples (and we are not talking pre-war or the mists of time).

What is going on in Buckingham is extraordinary. The Speaker is unpopular with his local party – not just a large block of Conservative MPs in Parliament – and his wife has shot through the Labour Party hoops and jumped other hurdles to go on the list of approved …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 26 Comments
The Voice

Anna Werrin RIP

By The Voice | Tue 22nd December 2009 - 10:20 am

Sad news has reached us here at Lib Dem Voice that Anna Werrin has died of a stroke. Anna worked for Charles Kennedy from the year he was first elected to Parliament, in 1983, and was his head of office until his resignation as leader of the Lib Dems in 2006. She was subsequently Chris Huhne’s campaign manager in his second leadership attempt, in 2007.

On behalf of the team here at LDV, we extend our sympathies to Anna’s family and friends. Please do leave your tributes in the comments thread, below.

Posted in Obituaries | Tagged and | 6 Comments
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Mark Pack

TV debate between party leaders: it’s only taken 46 years

By Mark Pack | Mon 21st December 2009 - 7:41 pm

The first proposals for a TV debate between party leaders were made for the 1964 general election. For all the talk of the power of the media, it will have taken 46 years for them to get their wish. It’s a credit to Sky that after so many years they finally were the broadcaster willing to call the bluff of party leaders and be willing to empty chair any who didn’t turn up – hence forcing the current agreement. The media certainly do have wider responsibilities than their own immediate self-interest, but it’s quite remarkable that for 46 years they’ve …

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Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 22 Comments
Mark Thompson

Opinion on Nick’s second anniversary: Mark Thompson – The next few months the biggest test of Clegg’s career

By Mark Thompson | Mon 21st December 2009 - 6:30 pm

Last week saw the second anniversary of Nick Clegg’s leadership of the Liberal Democrats. LDV marked the occasion by inviting three Lib Dem bloggers to assess Nick’s contribution to date, and to look ahead to what the future might hold. You can read Neil Stockley’s post here, and Iain Roberts’ here. Today is Mark Thomspon’s turn …

The first thing I would say is that had I have been a member in 2007 I would have voted for Chris Huhne. I think his politics are closer to my own personally and I felt he had the higher profile. …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 6 Comments
The Voice

Televised election leaders’ debates are on

By The Voice | Mon 21st December 2009 - 5:30 pm

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 4 Comments
Mark Pack

The Orwell Prize for Blogs 2010: open for entries

By Mark Pack | Mon 21st December 2009 - 3:45 pm

A  message from the organisers:

The Orwell Prize, Britain’s most prestigious prize for political writing, is inviting entries for a Blog Prize for a second year.

If you’d like to enter, you need to submit 10 URLs you’ve written in 2009. They do not have to be from the same blog, but they should all be written by you – the prize is self-nominating.

The entry form can be found at http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/blogprize2010.aspx, with full rules and regulations at http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/the-award/how-to-enter.aspx. The entry deadline is 20th January 2010.

The winner of the prize receives £3,000 and an Orwell Prize plaque. Richard Horton (Jack Night)

…

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Stephen Tall

Why I’m sticking up for the Taxpayers’ Alliance. Sort of.

By Stephen Tall | Mon 21st December 2009 - 2:35 pm

Today’s Guardian is full of righteous indignation about the allegation that the Taxpayers’ Alliance has set up a charitable arm to claim Gift Aid on donations from wealthy backers, Tory tax allies ‘subsidised’ by the taxpayer:

A campaign group which claims to represent the interests of ordinary taxpayers is using a charitable arm which gives it access to tax relief on donations from wealthy backers, the Guardian has learned.

The Conservative-linked Taxpayers’ Alliance, which campaigns against the misuse of public funds, has set up a charity under a different name which can secure subsidies from the taxman worth up to 40%

…

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , and | 9 Comments
Mark Pack

Probably the best election address, ever

By Mark Pack | Mon 21st December 2009 - 1:10 pm

In the last year, I’ve brought you the best headline in a Labour leaflet, ever and one of the very best Conservative leaflets, ever. Now as a special pre-Christmas treat, it’s time for probably the best election address, ever. I’ve only got the first four lines though, as you’ll see, that is probably enough.

Step forward Dennis Skinner and his 1979 effort, written entirely in verse:

The election is here again, nine years since my first try,
How strange that the issues haven’t changed by and by,
The Tory leader then was Ted Heath, who promised you less tax
Lower prices, and civil

…

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Posted in Humour | Tagged | 2 Comments
Stephen Tall

Now even the Telegraph calls on Tories to make Lord Ashcroft “come clean” over tax status

By Stephen Tall | Mon 21st December 2009 - 12:30 pm

The decision of the Tory party to turn a blind eye to the mysterious tax status of their deputy chairman – and the man who funds their marginal seats campaign – has come under close media scrutiny in the last few weeks, with Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable last week raising the issue at (Deputy) Prime Minister’s Questions, and labelling Lord (Michael) Ashcroft a “non-dom”.

A week ago, Lib Dem treasury spokesman Lord (Matthew) Oakeshott wrote to his fellow peer to put the the simple question – “Are you a non-dom or not?” – to him directly: …

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Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 4 Comments
The Voice

Inequality: the enemy between us?

By The Voice | Mon 21st December 2009 - 11:21 am

Richard Wilkinson, Emeritus Professor of Social Epidemiology, University of Nottingham and Kate Pickett, Professor of Epidemiology, University of York are co-directors of The Equality Trust and authors of The Spirit Level: why more equal societies almost always do better.

There is a long list of health and social problems which tend to be more common in the most deprived areas of Britain. The further down the social ladder you look, the more common they are. The pattern is the same whether you look at heart disease, homicides, teenage birth rates, mental illness, imprisonment, drug abuse, obesity, poor maths and literacy scores, low levels of child wellbeing, life expectancy or infant mortality.

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Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Tagged , and | 12 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink … Vince Cable: Was this the last waltz for ailing Strictly Come Dancing?

By NewsHound | Mon 21st December 2009 - 10:45 am

Never let it be said that the Lib Dems’ deputy leader is a one-trick pony, capable only of talking sound common sense on the economy – he is also, as we all know, a ballroom dancing prince, a man who knows his paso from his tango. So he’s on sure-footed ground in the Mail, when he questions whether the Beeb has runined the show that, in previous series, has entranced millions:

Britain is divided into two nations: those who watch Strictly Come Dancing on a Saturday evening and those who watch The X Factor. There are a few neutrals, but not many. I have been firmly in the Strictly camp from its early days but I worry now that the formula no longer works – that it is not just losing the ratings battle but is losing its way. A national treasure is at risk. …

More than any other show I can remember, it has brought together people of different ages and social backgrounds from different parts of the country – men and women. It has helped to create a national conversation and has given a big boost to dancing as a popular pastime.

Yet something has gone badly wrong. Millions of viewers voted with their feet for the other channel. Even diehard supporters like me became bored in the early rounds this year by very ordinary performances from an excessive number of unknown ‘celebrities’.

You can read Vince’s article in full here. And as an extra special treat on a cold Monday morning, you can enjoy re-living our shadow chancellor treading the light fantastic with Alesha Dixon:

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , , , and | 6 Comments
Stephen Tall

Daily View 2×2: 21 December 2009

By Stephen Tall | Mon 21st December 2009 - 10:15 am

Morning, all, and welcome to the 355th day of the year, a date which marks the 21st anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing, and the 47th anniversary of the British decision to buy nuclear missiles from the US. Today is also, you may like to know, the birthday of Thomas Becket, Jane Fonda and Tina Brown.

2 Must-Read Blog-Posts

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


And a very Merry Christmas to you too Eurostar & BA … (Lisa Harding)

So, to the people that run and work

…

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Mark Pack

Social networking tip: the benefits of NutshellMail

By Mark Pack | Sun 20th December 2009 - 5:20 pm

Back in March I blogged about the benefits of using NutshellMail to keep on top of social networks. The free service has just been updated, with some very useful extra features added.

But first, why use it?

What I wrote in March still applies:

One of the most common reasons I hear people give for not joining a social network site such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn is, “I know it’s useful, but where would I find the time to keep up with what’s happening?”

A typical way of tackling, at least in party, this dilemma is to go through carefully tweaking your

…

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Posted in Online politics | Tagged , , and | 2 Comments
Stephen Tall

Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #148

By Stephen Tall | Sun 20th December 2009 - 2:00 pm

Welcome to the 148th of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (13th – 19th December 2009), together with a hand-picked quintet, usually courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget, by the way, 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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Posted in News | 1 Comment
NewsHound

LibLink … Chris Huhne: Britain must stop locking up innocent children

By NewsHound | Sun 20th December 2009 - 11:05 am

Over at the Independent on Sunday, Lib Dem shadow home secretary Chris Huhne rails against the UK’s asylum system for combining ‘staggering bureaucratic incompetence with institutionalised cruelty’. Here’s an excerpt:

… It is one thing to stamp out abuse among asylum-seekers, but quite another to devise a system that combines staggering bureaucratic incompetence with institutionalised cruelty, for every year we are locking up hundreds and probably thousands of children, who have committed no crime, in prison-like conditions.

We do not know exactly how many, because the Government will not provide regular figures, but in June there were 470 such children, most of

…

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged , and | 8 Comments
Mark Pack

Daily View 2×2: 20 December 2009

By Mark Pack | Sun 20th December 2009 - 7:00 am

It’s Sunday. It’s 7am. It’s time for a singing Christmas dog, but first the news.

2 Must-Read Blog Posts

What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here’s 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

Copenhagen climate deal meets qualified UN welcome

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Stephen Tall

The LDV Saturday caption competition – ‘Pretty in Pink’ edition

By Stephen Tall | Sat 19th December 2009 - 3:45 pm

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

Here’s Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, with Manchester Withington MP John Leech, visiting business leaders in Chorlton – – what do you think they might be saying to each other, or thinking about each other?

(Image courtesy of Paul Ankers blog).

The winner of the most recent caption competition, the ‘never work with children’ edition, (according to The Voice’s judging panel of one) – was Painfully Liberal.

Posted in News | 15 Comments
Mark Pack

What is going on in Southend?

By Mark Pack | Sat 19th December 2009 - 2:34 pm

Allegations of intimidation, harassment, vandalism and more in a fall out between Conservative councillor Jason Luty and the Residents Association of Westborough (RAW).

The local CouncilBust blog reports:

Dr Jason Luty, Conservative councillor for Eastwood Park, has claimed that RAW is a politically- motivated organisation that has embarked on a campaign to victimise him.

Cllr Luty has also asserted that Martin Terry, independent councillor for Westborough, controls RAW and is behind the campaign.

At the same time, members of RAW and Cllr Terry have claimed that Cllr Luty has been deliberately attacking RAW by harassing its members, threatening their properties and using vandalism…

Cllr Terry

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 1 Comment
Philip Young

John Brigden selected for Dover

By Philip Young | Sat 19th December 2009 - 2:24 pm

Dover and Deal Liberal Democrat Association have selected John Brigden to be their PPC for the next election. John has been a Sevenoaks District councillor for some years, is an experienced campaigner, and has family connections with Deal. He is the Chief Executive of Bluesky Public Relations, and also organiser of classic-car events.

While there is evidence that rather suggests this constituency is on the receiving end of Ashcroft money, the local Tories have not been polling anywhere near well enough in local by-elections to suggest that could take this seat off Labour. The local Conservatives have been pushing for the …

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Posted in Selection news | Tagged and | 5 Comments
Fiona Hall MEP

D-Day -1: Confusion in Copenhagen

By Fiona Hall MEP | Sat 19th December 2009 - 12:30 pm

This is the third article for LDV by Fiona Hall, Lib Dem leader of the European Liberal Democrats, giving her account of the Copenhagen climate change summit. You can read Part I here, and Part II here.

What a mess.

After yesterday afternoon’s impasse on an international agreement, President Obama took matters into his own hands, struck a deal with China, India, Brazil and South Africa – and promptly left the country. It’s leadership of a sort – but, sadly, in the wrong direction.

The rest of the world has been offered a watered-down Accord which – as it …

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Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | Tagged , and | 4 Comments
Philip Young

What the papers say…

By Philip Young | Sat 19th December 2009 - 10:21 am

Vince makes the front page of the Daily Express, Nick scores two page leads in the Mail, Huhne forces a Tory U-turn, Paddy  bazookas a Brigadier, Bob Russell biffs a Bishop and The Telegraph’s Deputy Editor says George Osbourne is a childish prat … A few press clippings you may have missed, in our Newspaper Review of the Week.

“Tories lack clarity” – Simon Heffer, columnist: Daily Telegraph, 16.12.09

“Do the Tories enunciate a clear alternative that will benefit not merely their supporters, but also the country? Not yet. It’s not just that George Osborne seems to have no clear plans to …

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Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , and | 6 Comments
Alix Mortimer

Why blog?

By Alix Mortimer | Sat 19th December 2009 - 9:20 am

Welcome to the final part of our “Introduction to blogging” guide for Liberal Democrat bloggers or would-be bloggers. It’s been appearing each Saturday in the run-up to Christmas, with all the posts available via this page. The series will then be revised and collated into an e-book, so please do post up your comments as the series progresses. Today we’re finishing where we started, with reasons to blog. Alix Mortimer is at the keyboard…

Why blog?

The whys and wherefores of political blogging generate a lot of heat. Amble around the internet a little, and you’ll find denunciations of blogging as a …

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Posted in Blogging guide | Tagged , , and | 2 Comments
Stephen Tall

The LDV Friday Five (ish): 18/12/09

By Stephen Tall | Fri 18th December 2009 - 8:05 pm

What could be simpler: five categories, each with five links. And it’s Friday.

5 most-read stories on LDV this week

1. A good reason for Gordon Brown not to have an early general election (14) by Mark Pack
2. By-election roundup for 10 December 2009 (9) by Helen Duffett
3. Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith accused of avoiding £5.8m tax as non-dom (74) by Mark Pack
4. Derby North: hung parliament territory? (11) by Peter Welch
5. Tory councillor in Cheltenham defects to Lib Dems (6) by The Voice

5 active LDV Members’ Forum threads

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Fiona Hall MEP

D-Day in Copenhagen … Part II: More news – and it’s not good

By Fiona Hall MEP | Fri 18th December 2009 - 7:20 pm

To read Part I, please click here.

Spirits are rather low here this evening.

America and China produce over 50% of the world’s carbon emissions: any deal here tonight will require them to play ball. Unfortunately, there appears to be stalemate.

Fiona Hall MEP and George Lyon MEP at the Copenhagen Climate ConferencePrior to today the Americans had shown us a bit of ankle, suggesting that they might come forward with an offer of more money and concrete commitments. Unfortunately that looks like it was all a bit of a tease. President Obama instead used his speech simply to assert that the US is ready to do a deal if China and others are prepared to be transparent.

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 2 Comments
Fiona Hall MEP

D-Day in Copenhagen: Fiona Hall MEP’s update from Denmark

By Fiona Hall MEP | Fri 18th December 2009 - 3:10 pm

Well, it took a little longer than expected to get here. Being of a green disposition I opted for the overnight train from Strasbourg to Copenhagen, but heavy snow meant that it was more of a overnight-and-through-the-day train. Never mind – I’m here now, and we’ll soon know if the trip was worth the effort.

Today is – at least officially – the final day of COP 15. This evening we are due to find out whether the world’s leaders are prepared to go the extra mile and put in place the measures needed to keep global warming …

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Mark Pack

Party’s policy committee agrees to axe tuition fees

By Mark Pack | Fri 18th December 2009 - 2:33 pm

From an email from Nick Clegg:

This week the Party’s federal policy committee agreed a way to deliver one of our most important policies, the scrapping of unfair tuition fees. We’ve developed a plan to phase out tuition fees over the course of the next six years, to ensure this vital policy is affordable even at this time of economic crisis.

Labour and the Conservatives refuse to address the issue of fees and there is a real danger that both of them would lift the cap on fees which could mean even more debt for students when they leave university. We think

…

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Posted in News and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , , , and | 23 Comments
Iain Roberts

Opinion on Nick’s second anniversary: Iain Roberts – Nick finds his voice

By Iain Roberts | Fri 18th December 2009 - 2:18 pm

Writing this piece, I started by looking back at what was written on Nick’s first anniversary a year ago.

Over 2008 the party was averaging around 16% in the polls and whilst showing a great deal of promise, the consensus was that Clegg still had some way to go to fulfil his potential, with the Lisbon Treaty confusion and that Piers Morgan interview being two of the more memorable moments.

2009 has been a very different story. It’s still been a struggle to get our voice heard in the national media – that’s not going to change anytime soon outside …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 2 Comments
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