Caron Lindsay

How did shuttleworths get their name?

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 24th May 2014 - 8:00 pm

imageIt is a truth universally acknowledged that if you want to know anything about the olden days of liberalism, you ask The Lord (Tony) Greaves. A few days ago, somebody emailed a group of friends how shuttleworths got their name. For those of you who don’t know, these are the pads that used to have the names and addresses of supporters in a particular area for use on polling day. I knew I’d heard the story before and the various answers  that were being told didn’t seem right but I couldn’t remember what it was and, frankly, I had lots of voters to talk to so I didn’t look any further.

Then, with extraordinary serendipity, a comment from Tony Greaves got caught in auto-moderation. I actually saw his slight grumble about it in the main thread before I saw the actual comment. Anyway, it was the first thing that made me smile all day yesterday, so I emailed him to tell him. I also too my chance to ask him. This is his reply, reproduced with his permission.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 26 Comments
Advert
Steve Coltman

Opinion: Prince Charles has gone too far this time

By Steve Coltman | Sat 24th May 2014 - 10:07 am

Prince CharlesIt was ironic to watch the news today. Two politicians who (I suspect) do not much care for Prince Charles’s views in general  were speaking in his defence, whereas one who might be expected to be more sympathetic was being more critical. It was the latter, Nigel Farage, who was right. He said of Prince Charles’s comments, likening Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler, that there are some things the Prince should leave to the professional politicians.

Nick Clegg and Ed Milliband, on the other hand, were arguing that the Prince had a right to have his views and express them, or words to that effect. Prince Charles does indeed have a right to have his own private opinions, and he is not the first to have compared the actions of today’s Russia with yesterday’s Nazi Germany.

BUT, Prince Charles does not have the right to drop a bomb into the middle of British-Russian relations like this. It’s not just indiscreet, it is downright dangerous. There is no knowing what sort

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , and | 35 Comments
George Potter

Opinion: Why I was persuaded to back LibDems4Change

By George Potter | Sat 24th May 2014 - 8:37 am

N30 Public Sector Demonstration, Not HappyI’m no one special in the party. I’m Secretary of my local party, acting Chair of South East Liberal Youth and I once sat on a regional executive for a year.

And since 2010, despite the mistakes I think we’ve made in how we’ve handled being in coalition, until now I’ve always thought that getting rid of Nick Clegg as leader would be a very bad mistake. I thought that by doing so we’d be seen to be rejecting our achievements in coalition whilst failing to win back any of the people we’d already lost.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | 335 Comments
Stephen Tall

About that Ukip earthquake… Farage party’s national vote-share DOWN on 2013

By Stephen Tall | Fri 23rd May 2014 - 4:45 pm

The BBC has published its estimate of the national vote-shares for this year’s local elections. They show Labour out in front, on 31%, the Tories just behind on 29% – with Ukip in third place on 17% and the Lib Dems in fourth on 13%. Compared to the 2013 results*, this means Ukip is the only one of the four main parties to have lost votes in the last year.

Here’s the graph showing results over the last four years, 2010-14:

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 43 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Local Elections 2014: Friday afternoon roundup (updated)

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 23rd May 2014 - 3:00 pm

Election count progressingSee overnight results here.

So far:l

Key Stats

Vote share so far:

Labour    33%

Conservative 27%

Liberal Democrat 16%

UKIP 15%

Green 7%

Others 2%

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 60 Comments
Advert
The Voice

Clegg, Bruce and Tall comment on Liberal Democrat election results

By The Voice | Fri 23rd May 2014 - 12:33 pm

A little smorgasbord of Liberal Democrat commentary from f Nick Clegg, Malcolm Bruce and our co-editor Stephen Tall who have all been on the BBC this morning:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 18 Comments
David Boyle

Opinion: Public services need public involvement

By David Boyle | Fri 23rd May 2014 - 11:28 am

arrest in chicagoI must admit, I have become sceptical about the word ‘empowerment’.  For two reasons.  One is that it is a Blairite word, and based on a misunderstanding about where sovereignty lies.  Power isn’t distributed by an all-powerful prime minister. People already have it – they give it to the governments – but sometimes they have to be encouraged, persuaded or cajoled to use it.

The other reason I have become sceptical is my experience of the word.  I have sat in too many conferences where disabled people are encouraged to …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 8 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Local Elections: Overnight results roundup (Updated)

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 23rd May 2014 - 8:03 am

Election countThere’s a long way to go, but so far it’s been a mixed night for the Liberal Democrats. Here are the headlines:

UKIP wipeout in Eastleigh

We were told that UKIP were going to make gains in Eastleigh and it was one of the results that worried me the most. In fact, we held our own and UKIP’s tactic of putting up a Mr House against leader Keith House didn’t pay off at all.

Lib Dems lose control of Portsmouth

With a loss of 6 seats, the Liberal Democrats remain the largest party on …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 74 Comments
Stephen Tall

What the Euro polls say: Will Ukip come first? Will the Lib Dems avoid a 5th-placed wipeout?

By Stephen Tall | Thu 22nd May 2014 - 10:00 pm

A staggering 25 opinion polls have been published in May for the European elections. I say staggering because, if past form is any guide, two-thirds of the public won’t turn out to vote today. Nor do many people expect the result today to have much bearing on the general election in a year’s time. Still, here are all 25:

euro polls may 2015

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 32 Comments
The Voice

Happy Birthday to Sir Menzies Campbell

By The Voice | Thu 22nd May 2014 - 6:33 pm

image

 

What at does a Liberal Democrat MP do on his birthday?

Come in and phone bank at Scottish Liberal Democrat HQ, of course.

He was rewarded with  cake.

Happy Birthday, Ming.

Posted in News | Tagged | 1 Comment
Caron Lindsay

Wondering who to vote for today? #EP2014

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 22nd May 2014 - 12:30 pm

Liberal Democrat badge - Some rights reserved by Paul Walter, Newbury, UKOnly about a third of people normally vote in European and Council elections. If you are one of the two thirds who hasn’t made their way to the polling station yet, please read on. This stuff actually matters.

Your MEPs and Councillors make decisions that affect your daily life, be it mobile phone charges on your holiday, potentially your job if it’s funded by European money, or the care your parents receive or the quality of your local parks.

Clearly I’d love it if you voted Liberal Democrat for your benefit as much as mine as a party member. Here are some reasons why:

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 14 Comments
Mark Valladares

European elections: vote Conservative, get Liberal?

By Mark Valladares | Thu 22nd May 2014 - 10:58 am

election day 2014It’s polling day here and, indeed, in the Netherlands, as four days of voting for the European Parliament kick off. And, just possibly, whilst the Liberal Democrats are predicted to suffer losses here in the United Kingdom, the groundwork for the appointment of a liberal as President of the European Commission might be being prepared.

Christopher Flores, writing in the EU Observer, explains how;

Should a left coalition be blocked, the left will likely rally around one candidate in hopes of salvaging the loss of the Parliament by being able

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 5 Comments
Stephen Tall

The two Orange Bookers who’ve won over the Lib Dem membership

By Stephen Tall | Thu 22nd May 2014 - 10:00 am

Orange_BookIt’s 10 years since The Orange Book was published. Edited by David Laws and Paul Marshall it was widely regarded as an attempt by economic liberals within the Lib Dems to wrest back control of the party from social liberals.

Both Laws and Marshall would argue their attempt at ‘reclaiming liberalism’ (the book’s sub-title) was more about re-balancing liberalism as practised by the Lib Dems — that the party had grown intellectually lazy, happiest with simply saying ‘tax more, spend more’ as the answer to every public policy problem without thinking …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , , , , , , and | 70 Comments
Caron Lindsay

What we’re fighting for today

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 22nd May 2014 - 9:40 am

Lib Dems winning hereIf you’re a Liberal Democrat activist, the chances are you’re already pretty knackered. Your feet will be sore from walking or your voice hoarse from phoning or canvassing on the doorstep. If you’re running a committee room, you will no doubt have already sworn many times at the technology.

Elections are a long, brutal slog. As I walked past loads of people sitting outside the pub drinking cold beer on the way to phone bank last night, I did wonder why we all put ourselves through it. It’s simple …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 42 Comments
Stephen Tall

What Lib Dem members think about the way the Coalition is cutting spending to reduce the deficit

By Stephen Tall | Thu 22nd May 2014 - 8:45 am

Cut costsLib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum  to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Over 830 party members responded – thank you – and we’re publishing the full results.

The economy is recovering but cuts to public spending are going to be with us for some time no matter who’s in government. I wanted to test attitudes among Lib Dems to how the cuts are being handled. The questions below mirror those which have been asked by YouGov since summer 2010 (you can access the results here, from page 27). This is the second time we’ve asked these questions, so responses are compared with the previous results (in brackets) from December 2013.

Thinking about the way the government is cutting spending to reduce the government’s deficit, do you think this is…

Good or bad for the economy?

Continue reading »
Posted in LDV Members poll | 12 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Danny Alexander: The European Elections are not just a sideshow

By NewsHound | Wed 21st May 2014 - 7:00 pm

European Union flagDanny Alexander has written for British Influence about the importance of electing MEPs who actually give a damn about making Europe work and making it work better tomorrow.

He compares and contrasts the respective value of UKIP and Liberal Democrat MEPs:

UKIP MEPs have already shown that they are incapable of standing up for Britain in Brussels. Time and again, they have missed crucial votes or opposed key reforms that improve the lives of British citizens. UKIP themselves admit in their manifesto that “we don’t go there to make

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 15 Comments
Newsmoggie

LibLink: Giles Goodall’s open letter to Polish people in Britain

By Newsmoggie | Wed 21st May 2014 - 5:33 pm

Illuminated Polish flagOver at the Huffington Post, Giles Goodall, Liberal Democrat South East Euro candidate has written an open letter to Polish people in this country to let them know how welcome they are here and how it’s important to protect that freedom of movement around Europe.

For ten years, Britain has welcomed you as workers, entrepreneurs, friends and neighbours. The Poles I know are open, flexible and ambitious. They work hard, often with too little recognition. Some have been elected as local councillors, and I know another who works

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | 9 Comments
Stephen Tall

Strong backing for Steve Webb’s pension reforms: 78% of Lib Dems support abolishing annuity requirement

By Stephen Tall | Wed 21st May 2014 - 4:04 pm

WebbLib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum  to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Over 830 party members responded – thank you – and we’re publishing the full results.

Do you support or oppose abolishing the requirement for people to buy an annuity with their pension fund, and making it easier for pensioners to take part of their pension pot as a lump sum?

    Support – 78%
    Oppose – 9%
    Don’t know – 13%

Steve Webb is …

Continue reading »
Posted in LDV Members poll | 8 Comments
The Voice

Edward McMillan-Scott: Yorkshire benefits from access to Single European Market

By The Voice | Wed 21st May 2014 - 1:06 pm

Yorkshire DalesLiberal Democrat MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber Edward McMillan-Scott has been talking to the Yorkshire Post about the benefits staying in the EU brings to the region and asked those who believe in the EU to vote Liberal Democrat tomorrow:

There is no doubt whatsoever that as much as any region this one is benefiting from access to the single European market. The other side of that is inward investment. Siemens would not have committed themselves to Hull (to build a major wind turbine plant) unless they

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 1 Comment
NewsHound

LibLink: Nick Clegg: UKIP would pull the rug out from under the City

By NewsHound | Wed 21st May 2014 - 11:47 am

UKIP logoIn Monday’s Evening Standard, Nick Clegg had this to say about how the diverse, modern capital would be affected if Nigel Farage and UKIP got their way. While Farage’s party offers change, it’s not the sort of change that we want:

But don’t be fooled: it’s change of the worst kind. Behind the crowd-pleasing, pint-swilling banter is a party that wants to turn the clock back. Ukip’s only answer to the complexities of the modern world is pulling up the drawbridge, shunning the outside world and hankering for some

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , and | 5 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Danny Alexander and Alison McInnes challenge SNP on armed police in Scotland

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 21st May 2014 - 10:27 am

Police motorbike - Some rights reserved by Metropolitan PoliceI’ve written several times recently about how policing has changed in Scotland since Scotland’s eight police forces were merged into one.  Concerns have been expressed on a number of issues:

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , , , and | 2 Comments
Stephen Tall

MP recall: 73% of Lib Dem members approve of voters’ right to sack their representatives

By Stephen Tall | Wed 21st May 2014 - 10:10 am

Liberal Democrat badge - Some rights reserved by Paul Walter, Newbury, UKLib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum  to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Over 830 party members responded – thank you – and we’re publishing the full results.

73% of Lib Dem members approve of MP recall; 19% disapprove

The government has said that voters should have a means to ‘sack’ MPs who are guilty of ‘serious wrongdoing’. It proposes to allow voters in individual constituencies …

Continue reading »
Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged , and | 11 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Giles Goodall: UKIP’s disgraceful record on gay rights

By NewsHound | Wed 21st May 2014 - 8:55 am

Gay Pride New York 2008 / 20080629.10D.49816 / SMLSouth east Euro Candidate Giles Goodall has compared and contrasted the voting records of the Liberal Democrats and UKIP on LGBT rights in an article for Pink News.

It will come as no surprise to anybody that the Liberal Democrats have supported LGBT at every single stage:

In contrast, Liberal Democrat MEPs have systematically supported LGBT rights, with the European liberal group coming out with the best record in the European Parliament, alongside socialists and greens.

Let’s look at some of the things UKIP …

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , , and | 3 Comments
The Voice

What are Lib Dem MEPs doing for you?

By The Voice | Tue 20th May 2014 - 7:00 pm

We said yesterday that Lib Dem MEPs were too good to lose.

Here’s a short video which was played at the Conference rally at York this Spring which shows some of the excellent work that they do.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 1 Comment
Edward McMillan-Scott

Edward McMillan-Scott writes … an open letter to the Leader of the Conservatives in Europe

By Edward McMillan-Scott | Tue 20th May 2014 - 4:56 pm

European Parliament chamber, StrasbourgMr Syed Kamall MEP (London, Conservative)

Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament

Dear Syed,

As the former leader of the Conservative MEPs, I have followed with interest the current speculation over your potential future bedfellows in Europe. It appears likely that the number of Conservative MEPs will fall from 26 to around 15, your Czech allies will all but vanish, and the Polish Law and Justice Party will be the dominant force in the ECR group. To survive, there are informed reports that Tory MEPs with the backing of David Cameron are trawling the wilder shores of European politics for new allies.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 12 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Not everything you read on the internet about UKIP and Nigel Farage is true

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 20th May 2014 - 3:29 pm

nigel farageThis morning, Facebook timelines were bombarded with an image of Nigel Farage next to a quote in which he is supposed to have said that UKIP wanted to ban beards of more than 2 inches. “The beard goes or you go” he is supposed to have said on Anglia Radio on Saturday. After a quick (and horrible) mental image of Prime Minister Farage banning Z Z Top from entering the country, I quickly realised that it didn’t sound right. And if it had been true, such a juicy quote as …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 30 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Stephen Tall: Why my heart won’t be too heavy this week when I vote Conservative (in a manner of speaking)

By NewsHound | Tue 20th May 2014 - 2:38 pm

Conservative Party logoThere was much spluttering at LDV Towers this morning when we saw THAT headline. There was Earl Grey everywhere. Eventually, though, we managed to calm down and keep reading. In fact, our Stephen was messing with the heads of the readers of Conservative Home, as he does every few weeks or so.

In fact, his own vote for the fabulous Liberal Democrat team in the South East is secure. He is talking, though, about how he’s casting a proxy vote for a friend of his who has decided to vote …

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , and | 23 Comments
The Voice

Tim Farron says thanks to Liberal Democrat candidates: “Everything you do can and will make a massive difference to the outcome on Thursday”

By The Voice | Tue 20th May 2014 - 1:10 pm

The Party President sends his thanks to the 2,730 Liberal Democrats standing in the local elections.

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

When Vince Cable warns we should listen

By The Voice | Tue 20th May 2014 - 11:40 am

Vince Cable - Some rights reserved by Liberal DemocratsWhen Vince Cable issues a warning we should all pay heed.

According to the Guardian he was speaking last week at the Resolution Foundation and claimed that booming house prices are destabilising the economy. He said we should all be worried about what will happen when interest rates return to normal.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 15 Comments
Toby Matthews

Opinion: Miliband, Piketty and the Liberal response

By Toby Matthews | Tue 20th May 2014 - 10:15 am

milibandThree weeks ago, Miliband crossed the Rubicon and entered the heartland of Tory ideology. His support for European-style longer and more secure tenancies — and by extension capping rent increases — runs roughshod over a hitherto post-Thatcherite consensus.

Grant Shapps led the Tory riposte with a quick and ludicrous barb: Labour were proposing “Venezuelan-style rent controls”. Most people won’t know the details of Venezuela’s housing policy, but will be sure it’s unlikely to be any worse than our own.

Times have changed. We can see this clearly in that most …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Op-eds | Tagged , , , , and | 45 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • David Raw
    @ Gwyn Williams, Gwyn, you write, "The urgent issues of change in Westminster such as PR"............. Sorry, Gwyn, but I would have thought that a 26.4% inc...
  • Richard Cripps
    Having been "attacked" on social media for my political and social views (I am normally a LD voter) from time to time - with the attacks being personal rather t...
  • Jana
    @Tim Roger’s “ Jana. Please do not assume that everybody in the party is pro trans. Just oppose violence towards them.” I know you are correct on this...
  • paul barker
    Reform continue their slow decline in the Polls, where they stand a second time their Vote share mostly falls, they are losing Councillors steadily. Even the mo...
  • GWYN WILLIAMS
    Burnham's gradualist approach is similar to past Labour Governments. In 1964 Jim Griffiths was the first Secretary of State for Wales. In the 1970s the Royal Mi...