Liberal Democrat Voice

LDV’s Sunday Best: our 7 most-read articles this week

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 13th July 2014 - 1:11 pm

Many thanks to the 14100 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

Mike Bell resigns as candidate for Weston-Super-Mare for family and work reasons and Welsh Liberal Democrat Councillor joins Labour (12 comments) by The Voice

(Not) the Snoopers’ Charter, where we are, how we got here, what we should look for and what should happen next (51 comments) by The Voice

Ashcroft battlegrounds poll: Lib Dems set to lose four marginal seats to Labour (41 comments) by Stephen Tall

Jo Swinson …

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Vince Cable writes…Strengthening confidence in the UK’s takeover laws

By Vince Cable | Sun 13th July 2014 - 12:43 pm

The attempted but abortive Pfizer takeover bid for AstraZeneca has triggered a timely political debate in the UK about whether the safeguards in mergers and takeover legislation are adequate – especially when significant research and development assets are at stake. It is now clear to me that some changes should be made.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged acquisition, business and pfizer | 3 Comments

Cool politicians poll showcases the paucity of political debate

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 13th July 2014 - 10:15 am

I thought we’d scraped the bottom of the barrel when these photos of poor Ed Miliband eating a bacon sandwich led to him being mocked in virtually every publication in the UK. But it gets worse. The other day I sighed when I saw the headline “Ed Miliband is less cool than Sir Menzies Campbell”. Apparently YouGov has been spending time and money asking people how cool a group of current and former party leaders are.

Unsurprisingly, nobody makes it out of the negatives:

It’s certainly true than …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged Polls and yougov | 7 Comments

A longer read for the weekend… Edward Lucas on the threat posed to peace by Russia and what the West should do about it

By Stephen Tall | Sun 13th July 2014 - 8:45 am

Edward Lucas worked for Paddy Ashdown, has helped at by-elections, and was active in the National League of Young Liberals (NLYL) and the Union of Liberal Students (ULS). He’s better known, though, for being a senior editor at The Economist and an expert on energy, cyber-security, espionage, Russian foreign and security policy and the politics and economics of Eastern Europe. In 2008 he wrote The New Cold War, a prescient account of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. In 2011 he wrote Deception, an investigative account of east-west espionage. And earlier …

Posted in Europe / International, News and Op-eds | Tagged edward lucas, featured, russia and ukraine | 64 Comments

In the next month 28 seats will short-list their wannabe Lib Dem MPs

By The Voice | Sat 12th July 2014 - 5:50 pm

Here’s the full list of selection contests in the coming month available for Lib Dems on the approved parliamentary candidates’ list, together with the closing date for applications.

The following seats have selections in progress and are currently advertising for candidates:

Posted in Selection news | Tagged general election 2015 | Leave a comment

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Lessons must be learned from the Jo Swinson speculation

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 12th July 2014 - 2:20 pm

On Thursday, George Eaton of the New Statesman blogged that Jo Swinson was about to replace Ed Davey in the forthcoming Cabinet reshuffle.

Today, the Guardian’s Nick Watt says that this is not the case and Jo is expected to become Secretary of State for Scotland in September after the independence referendum.

Nick Clegg, acutely conscious that the five Liberal Democrat cabinet ministers are all men, is expected to promote the business minister Jo Swinson to the cabinet. But she is expected to succeed Alistair Carmichael as Scotland secretary after September’s independence referendum in September if, as expected, the pro-Union side prevails. Carmichael would be praised for his role in the victory as Swinson took charge on introducing greater devolution to the Scottish parliament.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged Alistair Carmichael, cabinet reshuffle, ed davey, george eaton, guardian, Jo Swinson, new statesman and nicholas watt | 36 Comments

Departing female EU commissioners lobby for more women in new Commission

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 12th July 2014 - 12:22 pm

The current 8 female EU commissioners have written to new Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to support his call for member states to appoint more women. The commissioners stated that they wanted to see at least 10 women appointed. The picture shows Dutch liberal commissioner Neelie Kroes holding up her hands to show symbolise support for the Ten or More campaign.

Their letter said:

Posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged eu, eu commission, Jean-Claude Juncker and neeliekroes | 11 Comments

Dear Daily Telegraph, Enough already. It’s actually okay for MPs to claim 11p for a ruler.

By Stephen Tall | Sat 12th July 2014 - 10:20 am

So the Telegraph is back to its old tricks on expenses. Five years ago, the paper uncovered some serious abuses by MPs at the taxpayers’ expense – along the way, the paper was also (as I wrote at the time) “guilty of flaky fact-checking, unfair distortions and disgraceful smears”.

Yesterday the paper attempted, rather desperately, to re-live past glories by running the story, ‘MPs’ expenses: Ken Clarke bills taxpayer for 11p ruler’. It wasn’t just Ken who attracted the Telegraph’s ire though: ‘Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, was found to …

Posted in News | Tagged daily telegraph, david cameron, ed miliband, ken clarke, mps expenses and vince cable | 22 Comments

LibLink: Norman Baker: Security and freedom in the internet age

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 12th July 2014 - 9:58 am

Norman Baker wrote an article for the party website which I thought you might find useful because it deals with some of the points raised in the questions to my mammoth post yesterday. I must warn you, though, that there are some examples of apostrophe abuse in it, so steel yourselves.

Many, if not most, people are concerned about the rush to get this legislation through in just two days. Norman gives his explanation of why he thinks it’s necessary:

No government introduces fast track legislation lightly, but the challenge

…

Posted in LibLink and Op-eds | Tagged civil liberties, communications data, norman baker and snoopers charter | 9 Comments

By-election update: Lib Dems jump from 4th to 1st to take seat from Tories in Julia Goldsworthy’s Cornish battleground seat

By ALDC | Sat 12th July 2014 - 8:45 am

There were five by-elections in principal authorities this week (Cornwall, Torridge, Barnsley and two in Cheshire West and Chester) and one deferred election in North Hertfordshire.

The Liberal Democrats jumped from fourth place to take a seat from the Tories in Illogan (Cornwall Unitary Authority). David Ekinsmyth won 23.8% of the vote for the Liberal Democrats; an increase of 10.1%. The Tories slumped to third behind Mebyon Kernow with both parties receiving 18%. The UKIP vote fell by 9.1% to finish fourth (13.4%), Labour came fifth (11.1%), …

Posted in News | Tagged aldc, by-election results, cornwall, David Ekinsmyth and julia goldsworthy | 12 Comments

Baroness Sarah Ludford writes…How not to use Brussels for policy laundering

By Sarah Ludford | Fri 11th July 2014 - 7:20 pm

The new Data Retention and Investigatory Powers (DRIP) Bill responds to the European Court of Justice annulment of the 2006 EU Data Retention Directive.

The government asserts that the DRIP Bill only confirms existing law as it is broadly the same content as the 2009 regulations implementing the EU Directive. But as that Directive has been swept away, DRIP provides a new legal basis, and this will in fact be the first time that legislation to regulate retention of phone, email and internet records has been generated …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged civil liberties, communications data, Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill, featured and snoopers charter | 7 Comments

The best time to recruit is now

By George Kendall | Fri 11th July 2014 - 5:45 pm

I find the most powerful words before asking for help are “thank you”.

With ten months still to go before the next election, if you knock on a supporter’s door, you’re not just yet another politician, who only calls at election times. And if the first thing you say is ”thank you”, that’s powerful.

When I do it, I get smiles of surprise and pleasure. They know perfectly well that there’s another reason for my visit, but we all like to be thanked.

A lot of us are nervous to …

Posted in News | 2 Comments

++Ian Swales MP to stand down at next election ‘for personal reasons’

By NewsHound | Fri 11th July 2014 - 4:43 pm

GazetteLive has the details:

Redcar MP Ian Swales is to stand down at the next General Election.

The Liberal Democrat, who was elected in 2010, said the decision was due to personal reasons.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my local area in Parliament,” he added.

Posted in News | Tagged ian swales | 15 Comments

Opinion: State security measures can protect liberty not just threaten it

By Iain Sharpe | Fri 11th July 2014 - 3:08 pm

It is an unwritten law of Lib Dem debates on security issues that before long someone will quote Benjamin Franklin that ‘Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.’

I have always been intrigued by the origins of this comment, primarily because taken on its own and literally, it is hyperbolic nonsense. Almost any form of government involves some tension between liberty and security. The state provides defence and police forces, but to do so levies taxes and circumscribes individuals’ freedom to use force to defend themselves.

There seems to be very little on the web about what Franklin actually meant. But an academic paper by Benjamin Wittes of Brookings Institute unsurprisingly reveals that Franklin’s aphorism was intended in a very different sense from that in which it is now so often quoted.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged civil liberties and national security | 7 Comments

Call Clegg 11 July – data retention, Israel, Royal Mail, Germany to win World Cup

By Joe Otten | Fri 11th July 2014 - 1:29 pm

Call Clegg began with a question on the retention of communications data, with a supplementary of whether this is one of those things that can be blamed on the EU.

Nick was very clear that this law is just to underpin the maintenance of existing arrangements for data retention, as have been applied for many years, and not extending them. That the ECJ had struck down the EU Data Retention Directive, was a reasonable exercise of the checks and balances of a mature way of making decisions but left data retention without a legal framework.

Posted in News | 4 Comments

Cable backs right to strike and opposes strikes

By Joe Otten | Fri 11th July 2014 - 11:57 am

Quoted in the Independent

We believe that getting round the negotiating table is better than striking.

We do not believe unions should be striking and causing mass disruption when everyone has been affected by similar pay conditions.

This reflects the fact that a better deal for one group of public sector workers would be paid for out of taxes on other workers, that the strikes if successful would not win a better deal for working people in general, rather for some at the expense of others. There is …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged employment rights, strikes and vince cable | 78 Comments

Opinion: We should be ashamed of these emergency surveillance powers

By James Baker | Fri 11th July 2014 - 8:43 am

In April the European Court of Justice ruled that the UK’s regime of mass data retention was incompatible with the treaty on fundamental rights, particularly with article 8 that stipulates the right to private and family life, right to protection of personal data and the right to freedom of expression. This was a major victory for many Liberals, civil liberties advocates and privacy campaigners who have fought against the widespread blanket retention of innocent and law-abiding citizen’s data.

The ruling set out 10 principles that new legislation should adhere …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged civil liberties, communications data and snoopers charter | 56 Comments

The security bill: why I think dirty hands are better than empty hands

By Stephen Tall | Thu 10th July 2014 - 9:16 pm

Today saw the surprise springing of emergency new surveillance legislation, announced by David Cameron and Nick Clegg and agreed with Ed Miliband. The Lib Dems have been quick to assert this isn’t the Snoopers’ Charter Revisited – torpedoed by Clegg after a Lib Dem grassroots’ revolt in April 2012 – but any attempt by the government to legislate in these areas gets liberal hackles up.

I’ve not had chance to read and absorb the details yet, though I’m reassured by the clear …

Posted in News and Op-eds | 20 Comments

An idea to put a stop to those public sector strikes

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 10th July 2014 - 8:44 pm

Schools, libraries, the Welsh Assembly and other government offices were shut or operating a reduced service day because of a strike by several public sector unions in protest at their falling wages, increasing pensions contributions and longer working lives.

David Cameron has a totally wizard wheeze to stop all this from happening. He wants to shift the goalposts so that a certain threshold have to turn out to vote in favour of strike action. Oh, Dave, really. If you start questioning the legitimacy of elections with low turnout, …

Posted in News | Tagged public sector, strike action and unions | 15 Comments

Jo Swinson tipped to replace Ed Davey in Cabinet reshuffle…

By Newsmoggie | Thu 10th July 2014 - 3:30 pm

Interesting speculation from George Eaton in the New Statesman that Nick Clegg may have been listening to Stephen Tall and is about to reshuffle the Cabinet, replacing Ed Davey with Jo Swinson. Jenny Willott would take over Jo’s job at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

The report says:

A senior party source suggests that Jo Swinson could replace Ed Davey, the Energy Secretary, in the party’s top team. Swinson, who recently returned from maternity leave (she is married to fellow Lib Dem MP Duncan Hames), has long been regarded as the strongest female candidate to enter the cabinet. She is a Clegg loyalist, a strong media performer, and has impressed during her time as a business minister.

Posted in News | Tagged cabinet reshuffle, george eaton, Jo Swinson and new statesman | 41 Comments

Opinion: Liberal Democrats should take a stand on state surveillance powers

By Alex Smethurst | Thu 10th July 2014 - 2:00 pm

The Coalition Government has announced it is rushing through emergency legislation underpinning the state’s right to keep personal data held by internet and phone companies. This is in reaction to the ruling by the European Court of Justice that at an EU directive on privacy retention had over-reached its powers and amounted to an invasion of privacy.

If the European Court of Justice says existing state surveillance powers are unlawful then we should not re-introduce them with no questions asked. Let’s have the debate as to whether the state should have these powers …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged civil liberties, communications data and snoopers charter | 30 Comments

Julian Huppert: This is not Snoopers’ Charter. It’s what we had already plus additional safeguards

By The Voice | Thu 10th July 2014 - 10:56 am

We’ve been asked to reproduce Julian Huppert’s email with the details of the new legislation in a separate post so that people don’t have to go through the mammoth post to find it, so here it is. Now, because people are clearly wanting the debate to stay in one place, we’ve closed off comments. If you have a point to make, please do it on this post here. We’re not doing it to be evil and awkward but because people have criticised us for having too many threads going …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged featured | Comments Off

UPDATED: (Not) The Snoopers’ Charter: Where we are, how we got here, what we should look for and what should happen next

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 10th July 2014 - 8:08 am

I’m feeling slightly nervous this morning. As I was going to bed last night, news came through that apparently a deal had been struck to introduce emergency legislation on communications data. The Guardian has the details.

The government will announce that it is rushing through emergency legislation underpinning the state’s right to keep personal data held by internet and phone companies.

Labour is expected to accept the bill on the basis that it will simply restore what the government believed to be the law before the European Court of Justice ruled in April that an EU directive on privacy retention had over-reached its powers and amounted to an invasion of privacy.

But, as part of the deal, the opposition has won agreement that ministers will launch a review of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act passed in 2000. The act is seen as the source of excessive surveillance by the security services.

Hang on, what was that last sentence again? “The opposition has won agreement that Ministers will launch a review of RIPA.” Let’s just remind ourselves who was in Government when RIPA was passed? Ah yes, that authoritarian, illiberal Labour government that thought it was ok to lock people up for 90 days without charge. Our MPs have been going on about reviewing RIPA since it was passed. It’s really important that Labour don’t get to claim that ground.

Posted in News | Tagged civil liberties, communications data, featured, julian huppert, nick clegg and snoopers charter | 52 Comments

Alistair Carmichael to co-host Scottish Fashion Awards

By The Voice | Wed 9th July 2014 - 10:08 pm

Someone must have heard of Alistair Carmichael’s excellent skills at Ed Fordham and Russell Eagling’s wedding last Saturday. He’s only gone and got himself another hosting gig, at the Scottish Fashion Awards in September, just 17 days before the Referendum on independence.

Fibre 2 Fashion has the story:

The Scottish Fashion Awards have announced an impressive list of nominees and honourees for the 9th annual fashion extravaganza, which will take place in 8 Northumberland, London on 1st September 2014. The event will be co-hosted by The Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael

…

Posted in News | Tagged Alistair Carmichael, Scotland and scottish fashion awards | 8 Comments

What links Jeremy Hunt and Peter Lilley? (Tip: If you’re not sure who they are, that’s the clue.)

By Stephen Tall | Wed 9th July 2014 - 9:12 pm

Who’s the most famous cabinet minister? And who’s the least famous? That’s what YouGov set out to find out by inviting its representative sample of the public to type in the name, unprompted, of the post-holder of six senior cabinet positions. Here’s what they found…

So Iain Duncan Smith (36% correctly naming him as Work and Pensions secretary) and Jeremy Hunt (28% as health secretary) are the least famous cabinet members. Though, to be honest – like John Rentoul and with due respect to Mike Smithson …

Posted in Polls | Tagged donald dewar, iain duncan smith, jeremy hunt, john rentoul, mike smithson, Peter Lilley and yougov | 4 Comments

Sal Brinton to stand for party President

By Sal Brinton | Wed 9th July 2014 - 3:45 pm

The Liberal Democrats have had a really tough four years since the formation of the coalition. Even though we suspected it would be tough, being in Government has taken its toll. Too many councillors who have worked hard, campaigned hard, and faithfully served their communities well, have lost their seats. They embody Liberal Democrat principles in action all over the country, so we must rebuild our local government base as a priority.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged presidential election 2014 and sal brinton | 13 Comments

Check out Centre Forum’s Atlas of Variation on Mental Health

By The Voice | Wed 9th July 2014 - 2:39 pm

Yesterday, Paul Burstow told us about the report published by the Mental Health Commission he chaired.

A few days earlier, Centre Forum produced a detailed and significant accompanying piece of work, an Atlas of Variation showing differences in prevalence, treatment and recovery from mental health conditions across England. The research, which you can read in full here, shows huge variations in services in different parts of the country. Have a look and see where it’s a good place to have a mental illness and where you have to suffer unnecessarily as a result of poor provision.

Its conclusion shows that despite the Government’s strategy to improve mental health treatment and services, this isn t yet being felt on the ground in many places:

Posted in News | Tagged atlas of variation, centre forum and mental health | 1 Comment

Baroness Joan Walmsley writes…The NSPCC does not go far enough

By Joan Walmsley | Wed 9th July 2014 - 1:15 pm

This morning the BBC had an exclusive story from the NSPCC. They have at long last shifted their position on making it a crime to cover up child abuse and have come out with a very half-hearted and confusing policy. I call it “safeguarding light.” Instead of making it the duty of everybody with the care of children in a regulated institution (like a school) to report to the Local Authority any child abuse or serious suspicion of child abuse, as I am advocating, they are saying that …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged child abuse, featured and nspcc | 4 Comments

Talking on Scotland 2014 about the Orange Order and those Commonwealth Games outfits

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 9th July 2014 - 11:55 am

I was on the new Scotland 2014 show on Monday night. It was my first live studio based interview. I travelled to the beautiful BBC headquarters at Pacific Quay in Glasgow for 9pm. I am not a great user of cosmetic products, usually because I end up looking like a clown if I try to apply them myself, but the very lovely experts soon had me looking 10 years younger. They even straightened my hair!

Posted in News | 1 Comment

Benefits sanctions: what should happen when guidelines and reality are at odds with each other?

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 9th July 2014 - 10:25 am

Back in April, I wrote about how the overuse of benefits sanctions appeared to be at odds with the Department of Work and Pensions guidance which was actually quite reasonable and gave decision makers some flexibility to take things like poor mental health into consideration.

Both the use and the penalty for even a minor infringement of the rules have been dramatically increased in the last couple of years. It’s worth noting that the minimum period of benefit loss is now 4 weeks. Given that the maximum help you can get from a food bank is 3 days’ food, 3 times a year, you can just imagine how much incredible hardship this can cause. You would think that a decision maker would take very seriously the consequences of imposing a sanction and only do it when the circumstances were clear cut.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged benefit sanctions, department of work and pensions, polly toynbee and the guardian | 27 Comments

Op-eds

Are the men of violence back in British politics? (Chris Nelson)
London needs more social homes – and Liberal Democrat boroughs are determined to deliver (Gareth Roberts)
Andy Burnham’s devolution reforms go only half-way (Mark Corner)
Reform donations row shows how facts get trampled at Westminster (David Vigar)
The Independent View: Turning back the tide on free speech (Jack Coulson)

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Bobby Dean MP writes: The resilient state

Sarah Olney bids to become candidate for Mayor of London

Going for four in a row in Scotland

Observations of an Expat: Canada

LDV’s Sunday Best: our 7 most-read articles this week

Vince Cable writes…Strengthening confidence in the UK’s takeover laws

Cool politicians poll showcases the paucity of political debate

A longer read for the weekend… Edward Lucas on the threat posed to peace by Russia and what the West should do about it

In the next month 28 seats will short-list their wannabe Lib Dem MPs

Lessons must be learned from the Jo Swinson speculation

Departing female EU commissioners lobby for more women in new Commission

Dear Daily Telegraph, Enough already. It’s actually okay for MPs to claim 11p for a ruler.

LibLink: Norman Baker: Security and freedom in the internet age

By-election update: Lib Dems jump from 4th to 1st to take seat from Tories in Julia Goldsworthy’s Cornish battleground seat

Baroness Sarah Ludford writes…How not to use Brussels for policy laundering

The best time to recruit is now

++Ian Swales MP to stand down at next election ‘for personal reasons’

Opinion: State security measures can protect liberty not just threaten it

Call Clegg 11 July – data retention, Israel, Royal Mail, Germany to win World Cup

Cable backs right to strike and opposes strikes

Opinion: We should be ashamed of these emergency surveillance powers

The security bill: why I think dirty hands are better than empty hands

An idea to put a stop to those public sector strikes

Jo Swinson tipped to replace Ed Davey in Cabinet reshuffle…

Opinion: Liberal Democrats should take a stand on state surveillance powers

Julian Huppert: This is not Snoopers’ Charter. It’s what we had already plus additional safeguards

UPDATED: (Not) The Snoopers’ Charter: Where we are, how we got here, what we should look for and what should happen next

Alistair Carmichael to co-host Scottish Fashion Awards

What links Jeremy Hunt and Peter Lilley? (Tip: If you’re not sure who they are, that’s the clue.)

Sal Brinton to stand for party President

Check out Centre Forum’s Atlas of Variation on Mental Health

Baroness Joan Walmsley writes…The NSPCC does not go far enough

Talking on Scotland 2014 about the Orange Order and those Commonwealth Games outfits

Benefits sanctions: what should happen when guidelines and reality are at odds with each other?

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Bobby Dean MP writes: The resilient state

Sarah Olney bids to become candidate for Mayor of London

Going for four in a row in Scotland

Observations of an Expat: Canada

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