Tory’s Speaker spanking

By the founding editor | Tue 29th May 2007 - 1:56 pm

A small, simple pleasure – but click to watch David Heathcoat-Amory being given a verbal spanking by Mr Speaker Martin, from last week’s business questions. No wonder the Tories hate him.

Posted in News | Leave a comment
Advert

Future of Lib Dem Voice

By the founding editor | Mon 28th May 2007 - 12:43 pm

Over the last couple of months I’ve been advertising for someone to take over the running of Lib Dem Voice, as unfortunately I’m unable to continue for various reasons – not least of which the amount of time running a site of this nature takes up (Iain Dale may well pop up now and tell me he warned me… and he did!).

I had discussions with a couple of people, and after some investigation it’s been decided that the Lib Dem Voice blog will close to new contributions and comments on June 19th, and the forum will close on …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged | 55 Comments
Stephen Tall

Top of the Blogs: the Golden Dozen #14

By Stephen Tall | Sun 27th May 2007 - 4:59 pm

Welcome to the 14th of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (20th-26th May), together with a hand-picked quintet you might otherwise have missed.

(And my thanks, parenthetically, to my LDV and Oxford city council colleague, Richard Huzzey, for holding the fort last week with his customary aplomb.)

So, here we go on another roller-coaster ride:

1. ‘Checking out the local election results’ on Pink Dog’s blog
The usual in-depth analysis from the Lib Dems’ colourful canine psephologist.

2. ‘Liberal Democrats win Dudden Hill by-election’ by Pink …

Continue reading »
Posted in Best of the blogs | Leave a comment
Steve Cooke

Opinion: Margaret Hodge should go

By Steve Cooke | Sun 27th May 2007 - 2:30 pm

Margaret Hodge has provoked furious discussion by suggesting that ‘indigenous’ British families should receive priority for social housing over migrants regardless of need. I admit being shocked when I heard her comments on the BBC – they seemed so very clearly to echo BNP policy.

Throughout the piece I was prepared to accept that her comments without thinking her racist (though I did, and do, think she’s a damned fool), right up until I heard her say, in relation to the needs of migrants, “and their need will often override the entitlement that my white families feel”. What I’m still not clear about is whether she’s putting out her message because she believes it, or because she’s scared that if she doesn’t echo the BNP message in her constituency, she’ll lose votes.

I spent a couple of days mulling over what Margaret Hodge had said and found myself asking a few questions. I kept returning to just what an indigenous Britain actually is? Indigenous is a tricky word because it doesn’t have a clear definition. Trawling various dictionaries reveals connections with ethnicity, birthplace, natural association etc. What is clear is that it doesn’t refer to citizenship – and that is the problem. I think when Margaret Hodge linked indigenous population and white families she gave the game away. If she’d talked about the entitlement of British citizens over migrant workers to social housing then I think she’d be receiving far less criticism today. Sadly, she didn’t.

The question of whether citizenship should grant greater entitlement to social housing is, however, another area that’s not as straightforward as it first seems. You see; most migrant workers pay UK tax and make National Insurance contributions. Migrant workers also make a huge contribution to our economy and there are several sectors of our economy that could well collapse without them. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) concluded that every 1% rise in inward migration resulted in +1.5% growth to our economy. The issue of whether someone should be prioritised on grounds solely of nationality (or ethnicity as Mrs. Hodge would seem to want) becomes problematic – should a single British-born man be given priority for a council home over a large foreign family who are homeless (and might have lived here for many years)? I can certainly see how citizenship might be a factor used in the calculations that determine social housing allocation – but those calculations are currently based entirely on need. If we are to change that need-based calculation, then perhaps people might start asking for other factors to be taken account of – like criminal record, time spent in the country, contribution to society, etc. It becomes a very slippery slope.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | 9 Comments
Laurence Boyce

Opinion: It’s only a boat

By Laurence Boyce | Sun 27th May 2007 - 2:24 pm

A tragedy of epic proportions has been unfolding before our eyes. A national treasure has been lost – a glorious piece of our maritime history – the ““Concorde of the waves” no less. A majestic ship, which for years ruled the South China Sea, as she conveyed to the nation that most essential of commodities – a nice cup of tea. But at the risk of becoming the most reviled person in the country, I have to say that I was not in the least bit upset to learn on Monday morning that the Cutty Sark had been burnt to a cinder.

Ironically, the old vessel was undergoing a “restoration” effort worth some £25 million, which seems like rather a lot of money to spend on a ship which was last sold for a mere £3,750 in 1922. Of the £25 million, £13 million came from the Heritage Lottery Fund or HLF. Since 1994, the HLF has awarded over £3.6 billion to more than 22,500 projects across Britain. Well I suppose that nobody is forcing anyone to buy a lottery ticket, but even so I thought it might be worth checking out a few items of expenditure.

Transport projects in general are well favoured by the HLF. More than £58 million has been awarded for over 70 old boats of various descriptions, including the Cutty Sark. More millions have gone on a variety of trams, trolley buses, and trains. But when I say trains, I mean more Thomas the Tank Engine rather than anything which is likely to convey you to a useful destination. Historic buildings have also been well endowed. For instance, £447,500 was awarded to conserve the Harrogate Turkish Baths – the perfect setting to unwind after a tense day at conference, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | 3 Comments
Advert
Alex Foster

Taking Liberties

By Alex Foster | Sat 26th May 2007 - 4:48 pm

A new film is about to be released detailing just many freedoms we’ve lost since Blair&Co came into power a decade ago. Taking Liberties has its first public screening today at Warwick University before being more widely released later in June.

The film takes as its themes six areas of policy where New Labour have taken away civil liberties we had previously enjoyed in this country: the Right to protest, free speech, privacy, detention without trial, extradition, and torture.

But looking at the Cinema listings page, it appears that there are only a very few chances to …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Leave a comment

Welsh Lib Dem special conference votes to resurrect coalition talks with Tories and Plaid

By the founding editor | Sat 26th May 2007 - 2:48 pm

Welsh Liberal Democrats have agreed to try to revive plans for a coalition assembly government with Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives.

A special Lib Dem conference in Llandrindod Wells voted 125 to 77 to resume talks with the other parties.

It comes days after the “rainbow alliance” collapsed when the party executive failed to back the plans.

More 

Posted in News | 6 Comments
Mark Pack

How good is YouGov?

By Mark Pack | Sat 26th May 2007 - 12:45 pm

The question of whether internet polling is better or worse than face-to-face or telephone polling quite often causes sparks (friendly of course) to fly better different pollsters and pundits. So I thought it would be useful to compare YouGov against all the other political pollsters (except for BPIX – because they also use the internet but also aren’t a member of the British Polling Council and so are of questionable reputation*).

Here are the monthly average scores since the general election for the three main parties; the solid line is the average of all the polls with fieldwork dates in that month …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Polls | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Mark Pack

Liberal Democrats win Dudden Hill by-election

By Mark Pack | Fri 25th May 2007 - 12:35 am

Congratulations to Pawan Gupta and Brent Liberal Democrats for winning the by-election in Dudden Hill:

Liberal Democrats 1,262 (39.8%)
Labour 1,177 (37.2%)
Tory 412  (13.0%)
Respect 160 (5.1%)
Green 156 (4.9%)

Majority 85
(In 2006 the three Lib Dem majorities were 32, 114 and 297 in this ward).

Turnout 34.2%

A particularly good result as the Liberal Democrats have taken the lead in running Brent Council, having made huge gains in the 2006 local elections, though not quite enough to have an overall majority.

This is a similar story to the previous Kentish Town (Camden) by-election – which was also a Liberal Democrat win – and also, like Dudden Hill, …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 12 Comments
Mark Pack

Conservative peer gives FoI bill a new lease of life

By Mark Pack | Thu 24th May 2007 - 9:47 pm

Oh dear. Just when it looked like Conservative MP (and their ex-Chief Whip) David Maclean’s bill to exempt Parliament from the Freedom of Information Act might fall in the House of Lords due to the lack of a peer to sponsor it … step forward Conservative peer Lord Trefgarne, who has said that he will do just that.

So after having nine Conservative front benchers voting to back the bill from their former Chief Whip, we now have one of their Lords (and a former minister to boot) ensuring the bill doesn’t fail at the first hurdle in the Lords.

PS So …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 4 Comments

Lib Dems in Wales pull out of coalition talks, irritate Plaid

By the founding editor | Thu 24th May 2007 - 2:41 pm

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have rejected coalition talks with Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives to form a government in Wales. They have also said they will not reopen coalition talks with Labour and will abstain from voting for a First Minister next week.

Story here.

Posted in News | 12 Comments
Mark Pack

Police offer reward following hate campaign in Watford

By Mark Pack | Thu 24th May 2007 - 9:44 am

After suffering a two-year hate campaign, Liberal Democrats in Watford are probably welcoming the news that the police are stepping up their investigations and offering a £5,000 reward to help track down the culprit(s).

As The Times reports,

Tyres on cars have been slashed, poster boards damaged and members plagued by malicious letters and late-night silent phone calls … Detectives have linked 84 offences between April 1, 2005, and May 9, 2007. Before the local elections this month a number of Liberal Democrat supporters reported silent calls. Twelve malicious letters were also sent to residents.

Full story here.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

ACPO PR Director hired to replace Mark Littlewood as Head of Media

By the founding editor | Wed 23rd May 2007 - 9:00 pm

(I appear somehow to have botched up the publishing of this story yesterday, so it didn’t appear – apologies)

Association of Chief Police Officers’ Director of Communications, Hannah Gardiner, has been appointed as Head of Media for the Liberal Democrats. Gardiner will head up the Liberal Democrats’ Press Office and is expected to take up her post in July.

Hannah Gardiner will play a key role in the Party’s strategic communications team working hand in hand with Director of Policy and Communications, Jon Oates, Head of Policy, Greg Simpson, Leader’s Senior Spokesperson, Mark Webster and Press Secretary, Puja Darbari.

Chief …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 2 Comments

Öpik calls for creation of “department of the nations”

By the founding editor | Wed 23rd May 2007 - 11:00 am

Party press release:

The Liberal Democrats today called for the Department of Communities and Local Government to be merged with the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland offices into a single government department.

The call comes following the successful reinstatement of devolution to Northern Ireland. The move could save taxpayers millions of pounds.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Wales and Northern Ireland Secretary, Lembit Öpik MP said:

“With devolution now successfully up and running in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there is absolutely no need to keep wasting taxpayers’ money running four separate departments in London.

“The Government should now recognise that the devolved Parliament in Scotland …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 4 Comments

Potential oddness

By the founding editor | Wed 23rd May 2007 - 9:52 am

LDV was down overnight due to something going screwy with a file on the server (there’s technical for you) which required an upgrade of the blog software.  This shouldn’t make any difference to you, but if you notice anything acting oddly, please say.

Posted in News | Leave a comment
Mark Pack

Has someone been hacking into Iain Dale’s blog?

By Mark Pack | Tue 22nd May 2007 - 2:47 pm

After all, it’s hard to take this post seriously.

His “rebuttal” to Ming Campbell saying “I am shocked that the Labour and Conservative front benches in the Commons have joined forces to vote for a special exemption for MPs from the Freedom of Information Act” is to say, “If you look at the 24 Conservatives who disgracefully voted for the Bill on Friday, only 9 hold front bench positions.”

Crikey, what a rebuttal hey?

Posted in News | Tagged | 8 Comments

Can blogspot.com editors EDIT comments from users?

By the founding editor | Tue 22nd May 2007 - 1:35 pm

A certain blogger and I have been having another spat. I know. I know. But she started it, really mother.

Take a look at the comments:

Lamido comments

Now, comments one and three are from me. They’re written in my usual ‘style’ – punctuation and all (whether it’s right or not).  When I ask a question, in comment one, there’s a question mark.

Comments two and four are written by someone else.

Comment five is not written by me, even though if you click my name it goes through to my blogger profile.  It’s written by the author of …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 22 Comments
Mark Pack

Freedom of information: Ming launches online petition

By Mark Pack | Tue 22nd May 2007 - 11:24 am

Ming Campbell has stepped up the pressure over the bill to exempt Parliament from the freedom of information rules by both launching an online petition and also urging people to lobby members of the House of Lords (where the bill goes next for debate).

Details at the special campaign site, www.ourcampaign.org.uk/foi

Posted in News | 8 Comments
Geoffrey Payne

Opinion: Divisions between the rich and the poor

By Geoffrey Payne | Mon 21st May 2007 - 2:00 pm

To the average person on a low income or who is unemployed, the idea that voting for a political party can make much, if any, difference to their life would seem absurd.

It has not always been this way. The Liberal government of 1906 did much to respond to the social agenda, although it did not do enough to halt the emergence the Labour party. The 1945 Labour government implemented policies such as the introduction of the NHS which secured the disproportionate support of the working class, even to this day.

Today of course the divisions between rich and poor are getting …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | 7 Comments
Ed Maxfield

Opinion: Don’t panic Mr Mainwaring!

By Ed Maxfield | Mon 21st May 2007 - 8:00 am

Menzies Campbell with Charles Kennedy behind himWell, here’s a thing. I didn’t think I would be rushing into print to defend Ming Campbell’s leadership of the Lib Dems.

Last year I voted enthusiastically (although fairly quietly as I was employed by the party at the time) for Chris Huhne. I didn’t think it was wise for the party to opt for a sexagenarian leader just when we had connected so effectively with young voters over issues like Iraq and tuition fees. I feared that he would …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 20 Comments
Richard Huzzey

Top of the Blogs: the Golden Dozen #13

By Richard Huzzey | Sun 20th May 2007 - 7:25 pm

Welcome to the lucky thirteenth episode of our weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (7th – 13th May), together with a hand-picked quintet you might otherwise have missed.

I don’t know if it’s because he’s superstitious, but your regular host Stephen Tall has taken a well-earned break and kindly asked me to fill in this week. So, I will step into his Lib Dem Voice chain-and-robes of office, starting with the seven most popular clicks:

1. Important Lib Dem News – Please Read! on …

Continue reading »
Posted in Best of the blogs | 3 Comments

Selection news: Brentford & Isleworth and Feltham & Heston

By the founding editor | Sun 20th May 2007 - 7:20 pm

On Tuesday Cllr Andrew Dakers was selected as the PPC for Brentford & Isleworth. On Thursday Cllr Munira Hassam was selected as the PPC for Feltham & Heston.

Thanks to Michael Wilson for letting us know.

Posted in Selection news | Leave a comment

Opinion: So just how strongly did the Lib Dems oppose the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill?

By Hywel Morgan | Sun 20th May 2007 - 12:34 pm

“This is unacceptable” said Ming Campbell in an email to party members and supporters on the eve of this bill being given its third reading in the Commons.

But having watched this bill progress through the Commons I’ve not been hugely impressed by the Lib Dem commitment to oppose it.

To take it in stages.  This bill received an unopposed second reading.  I’m not an expert on the minutiae of Parliamentary procedure but according to the committee stages of this bill, it could have been blocked if it had it received an objection from a single member.

The bill then passed to the committee stage.  You would expect that a bill which the party considered to be unacceptable would be strongly opposed at committee stage.

Yet not a single amendment was put.  Not a single vote was called for.

Indeed to read Nick Harvey’s comments there wasn’t even a Lib Dem MP on the committee.

“I agreed to serve on the Committee to provide some of the insight that I have gained through my work on the House of Commons Commission and the Members Estimate Committee. I am not here as a party spokesman; I agree with the right hon. Gentleman that this is a House matter on which Members must make their own judgments. I would not expect party Whips to seek to get involved in it.”

(Nick Harvey – Committee stage – 7th February 2007)

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 20 Comments

Welsh Lib Dems suspend coalition talks with Labour, investigate rainbow coalition of other parties instead

By the founding editor | Fri 18th May 2007 - 4:45 pm

More from Peter Black.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Second time round, Lib Dems scuppered in bid to block third reading of Parliament FoI exemption bill

By the founding editor | Fri 18th May 2007 - 3:13 pm

Commenting on today’s debate on the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill in the House of Commons, Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, Simon Hughes MP said:

“This has been a shameful day for the House of Commons – MPs should set an example of open government, not apply it to everybody but ourselves.

“David Maclean’s Bill and the way it has got through the Commons will clearly diminish respect for Parliament. But the battle will go on and hopefully the Lords will deliver us from this terrible mistake. 

“I hope the public will make their views very clear to the MPs who supported the …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 9 Comments

Electoral Reform Society backs STV for Holyrood

By the founding editor | Fri 18th May 2007 - 11:00 am

From BBC News:

The Electoral Reform Society has hailed Scotland’s council election as a resounding success.
The organisation has suggested that there were “major inadequacies” in the vote for the Scottish Parliament, which saw more than 140,000 rejected ballots.

However, a report from the society will say that the single transferable vote (STV) system used in the council election worked well.

It wants Holyrood to adopt the STV method, a call backed by the Lib Dems.

Research carried out by the BBC has shown that the proportion of spoilt ballot papers was far lower for the council election on 3 May.

More

Posted in News | 1 Comment

Phil Willis: a career in pictures

By the founding editor | Fri 18th May 2007 - 10:19 am

Or rather, a picture in a career.

Phil Willis’s career has been occasionally colourful! I will give, oh I don’t know, a shake of the hand to the first person (not pictured in the photograph) to come up with a plausible explanation for what Sarah Ludford is doing with that shark and what Phil Willis is doing with Will Howells’s foot.

Phil Willis and co

Posted in News | 5 Comments

Selection news: Matthew Green steps down as Ludlow PPC

By the founding editor | Fri 18th May 2007 - 10:17 am

Former Liberal Democrat MP for Ludlow, Matthew Green is stepping down as Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Ludlow to concentrate on his planning consultancy business Green Planning Solutions LLP.

Matthew Green said “When I started my planning consultancy in 2005, I could not have anticipated the growth of the business. Although I am in the process of recruiting additional staff much of the business is dependent on my time. I am regularly working 16 hour days, I also need to spend time with my family and eventually something has to give”.

Matthew Green added “It’s a frustrating decision to come to as …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Selection news | 3 Comments

Curious goings on in Local government

By the founding editor | Fri 18th May 2007 - 9:42 am

First, as has been reported all over the Lib Dem blogosphere, Oxford is to have two Conservative cllrs – formerly Lib Dems.  Two councillors do constitute a group, though who’ll be leader and who’ll be deputy, who can say?

“The pair said they did not quit the council and call a by-election because of the cost to the taxpayer.”

B***cks. The pair thought they would not quit the council because they’d lose their seats and their cosy income.

And curious events at North Devon District Council yesterday afternoon. The Tories, despite a notional majority of one Councillor, failed to take control of the Council  as …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Op-eds | 3 Comments

Phil Willis MP to stand down at next election

By the founding editor | Thu 17th May 2007 - 3:38 pm

Phil WillisPhil Willis, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has today announced that he will not stand at the next General Election.
In a letter to members and supporters Phil thanked them for all their hard work and dedication, culminating in his election in 1997, 2001 and 2005. 

He said:

“I believe that together we have made Harrogate and Knaresborough a better place to live and work and literally thousands of individuals have benefited from having a dedicated parliamentary service at their disposal.  There have been few causes, large or small, that have not been championed and …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged | 7 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • PM
    The recent political events in France have come at an unfortunate time for those involved in a renewed push for the UK to rejoin the EU. France has been in i...
  • Peter Hirst
    However political parties are funded there are some common sense considerations. Politics depends on equal votes and to this should be added equal funding. At l...
  • expats
    Chloe 11th Oct '26 - 10:39am.........expats; Looking at the big three economies in the EU – maybe they have a point. Where is this magical growth going to com...
  • Hywel
    Found this. Doesn't sound like a challenge is coming soon! https://www.politics.co.uk/2026/10/full-list-where-lib-dem-mps-stand-as-bid-to-topple-ed-davey-em...
  • Hywel
    I'm surprised nothing further has developed from Charlie Maynard's resignation. Usually with these things there is a sort of plan so the first stone leads to a...