Liberal Democrat Voice

Opinion: Not a budget for green policy

By Duncan Brack | Fri 21st March 2014 - 12:02 pm

David Cameron may now view climate change as a serious threat, thanks to the winter floods, but you wouldn’t know it from his Chancellor’s Budget statement on Wednesday. What did the Budget do for green growth and the low-carbon agenda? –

Froze the carbon price floor (paid by large emitters) until the end of the decade. Introduced just last year at £16/tonne carbon dioxide, it was supposed to increase steadily to reach £30 in 2020 and £70 in 2030; now it’ll stick at £18. This makes coal more attractive and low-carbon energy less.
Ended Enterprise Investment Scheme tax breaks for investments in renewable electricity and heat (while retaining them for everything else).
Extended compensation for energy-intensive industries from the electricity bill levies funding renewable energy.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged green taxes and renewable energy | 13 Comments

Advert

Opinion: Let’s have real “power to the people” for those of us outside the UK

By George Cunningham | Fri 21st March 2014 - 10:40 am

There is a lot wrong or out-of-date with our current political system. The Lib Dem policy paper “Power to the People” passed at the spring conference in York, addresses those issues in a typically liberal, radical way. It is worthy of our support, as a step forward, even if some find parts of it imperfect.

“Power to the People” aims to explore the viability of overseas constituencies. This would be quite radical for the UK but would – I believe – benefit it a …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged europe, liberal democrats spring conference 2014 and power to the people | 5 Comments

A look ahead to Scottish Conference

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 21st March 2014 - 8:34 am

This time next week, I’ll be on a train on my way to Aberdeen along with lots of other Scottish Liberal Democrats for our Spring Conference. This is the party’s main Conference, held over 3 days. Here’s my pick of the agenda.

The debates

Part of the reason I’m getting up at such an ungodly hour on Friday is to get up there for the first two debates. Alison McInnes, our justice spokesperson, has done much to highlight the many iniquities of our Justice system under the illiberal regime of Kenny MacAskill.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged Alistair Carmichael, chris huhne and scottish lberal democrat conference | 1 Comment

The complete and utter list of Lib Dem MPs’ first tweets

By Stephen Tall | Fri 21st March 2014 - 8:00 am

There are currently 45 Lib Dem MPs on Twitter, according to this list curated by Mark Pack. Thanks to Twitter’s #FirstTweet website gizmo we can see the first words of wisdom the party’s elected representatives chose to offer the world. I mean, who wouldn’t want to?

Read this list and you’ll discover who the first Lib Dem MP to tweet was*, who talked about themselves in the third person, and which former cabinet minister asked in 2009, “Wondering if any bankers actually understand what is going on.” And, riddle me this, how did Greg Mulholland’s first tweet manage to be a re-tweet of himself?

Posted in News | 5 Comments

“Steve Webb has now become one of the most important people in government”

By The Voice | Thu 20th March 2014 - 10:55 pm

According to The Guardian’s Andrew Sparrow, at any rate, who noted the Lib Dem pensions minister’s fingerprints all over this week’s budget:

The Lib Dem pensions minister, Steve Webb, has now become one of the most important people in government. A rare example of a minister who is an expert in his area, he has been pushing the pension pot liberalisation plan (which is firmly rooted in longstanding Lib Dem party policy) and the legislation on this – which he will almost certainly have to take through the Commons –

…

Posted in News | Tagged andrew sparrow, quentin letts and steve webb | 7 Comments

Advert

Nick Clegg’s tribute to Tony Benn

By The Voice | Thu 20th March 2014 - 10:43 pm

Tributes were paid in the House of Commons today to the former Labour MP Tony Benn, who died last week. Deputy Prime Minister
Nick Clegg led them – here’s what he had to say…

The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Nick Clegg):
May I, on behalf of the House, commence the tributes to the right hon. Tony Benn, following the warm words from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition yesterday?

As others have already commented, Tony Benn will be remembered as a dedicated constituency Member of Parliament, a tireless campaigner and, of course, an astute political diarist.

Posted in Parliament | Tagged nick clegg and tony benn | 5 Comments

The price of trusting people with their own money

By Joe Otten | Thu 20th March 2014 - 4:29 pm

The world of the private “Defined Contribution” pension is one that sees so many hidden fees it has been described as generating a greater return for the financial services industry than it does the saver. A large bite of this comes with the annuity purchase, where the pension pot, built up over the years, is spent on an annuity, converting a cash sum into a fixed (or index-linked) income for life.

Annuity purchase represents a kind of insurance against getting too old and running out of money.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged annuities, featured, pension reforms and pensions | 52 Comments

Opinion: Some facts about Ukraine and Crimea

By George Potter | Thu 20th March 2014 - 3:00 pm

Given some of the comments being widely made about the crisis in Ukraine, particularly those defending or minimising the actions of Russia, I thought it would be worthwhile to point out some facts about the situation and counter some of the popular myths. They doesn’t necessarily establish that one side is completely right or wrong but they are worth bearing in mind.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged crimea and ukraine | 57 Comments

Call Clegg: Proud of Budget, help for parents, taking on Ed Balls and “silly” Shapps and keeping Scotland in the family

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 20th March 2014 - 1:30 pm

Another good Call Clegg this morning with one question from Philadelphia on Scottish independence. The caller asked if David Cameron should resign if Scotland voted yes. Nick didn’t get into that, but he said he fervently hoped that Scotland would stay in the “UK family of nations” with more powers.

One criticism of the budget is that it only helps working parents, not those who choose to stay at home. Nick expressed his admiration for those who make that choice, but he said that so many had said to him that …

Posted in News | Tagged budget 2014, call clegg and nick clegg | 7 Comments

Liberal Reform response to Budget 2014

By The Voice | Thu 20th March 2014 - 12:12 pm

Liberal Reform had this to say about the measures contained in yesterday’s budget:

Liberal Reform welcomes much of this year’s budget, which once again has a clear Liberal Democrat thread running through it. From income tax to pensions, the changes announced by the chancellor come from Lib Dem thinking.

There is one area where we would liked to have seen further progress, and that is on housing.

Posted in News | Tagged budget 2014 and liberal reform | 27 Comments

“I thought it was a spoof” Danny Alexander on Shapps’ “patronising” Bingo tweet

By NewsHound | Thu 20th March 2014 - 11:50 am

Proof, as if we needed it, that Liberal Democrat and Tory mindsets are very different can be seen from Danny Alexander’s reaction to Grant Shapps’ “Bingo”poster.

#budget2014 cuts bingo & beer tax helping hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy. RT to spread the word pic.twitter.com/5vbL7RDAg5

— Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) March 19, 2014

Posted in News | Tagged budget 2014, Danny Alexander and grant shapps | 11 Comments

The Independent View: Rooting out criminal landlords

By Alan Ward | Thu 20th March 2014 - 9:00 am

In his recent article, Julian Huppert MP declared that “landlords should have to compete on quality not just on price.” The Residential Landlords Association agrees. The question is how to achieve this.

Many councils have chosen some form of licensing to identify the ‘rogues’ who over-crowd homes and rent sub-standard properties.

The problem with licensing schemes is they identify the good landlords who sign up but fail to find the crooks. Even Newham, the most pro-active borough in this respect, has failed to reach the hardcore of 20% of rogue landlords after a year’s intensive enforcement.

Posted in The Independent View | Tagged landlords, letting agencies and private rented sector | 7 Comments

LibLink: Danny Alexander: We ignored siren voices in the Tory party on 40p tax rate to give £100 tax cut for all

By Newsmoggie | Wed 19th March 2014 - 8:31 pm

To write for the Mail once might be considered unfortunate. To do so twice in three days has to be considered careless. Mind you, Lady Bracknell would no doubt have read that paper.

Danny Alexander follows on from Sunday’s article with this piece on how the Liberal Democrats stopped the Tories from confining tax cuts to the rich alone. First, a little differentiation:

We’ve forced it onto the agenda at every Autumn Statement and Budget and by April this year will have delivered a tax cut worth £700 to 25 million working people.

Posted in LibLink | Tagged budget 2014 and daily mail. danny alexander | 15 Comments

Opinion: Expansion of apprenticeships shows that Liberal Democrats are the party of young people.

By Mathew Hulbert | Wed 19th March 2014 - 6:11 pm

As someone who believes tackling long-term youth unemployment and giving opportunities to young people should be the Liberal Democrats’ next great mission in Government, I very much welcome the news in the Budget of new measures to grow the number of apprenticeships in our economy.

These initiatives are set to create 100,000 more apprentices which is fantastic news for young people in communities up and down the Country.

Posted in News | Tagged apprenticeships, budget 2014 and youth employment | 13 Comments

Awards for Liberal Democrat MEPs Chris Davies and Andrew Duff

By The Voice | Wed 19th March 2014 - 3:55 pm

Good news from Brussels. Two Liberal Democrat MEPs have won awards in the MEP Awards 2014.

First up was Chris Davies for his work to secure sustainable fishing through Fish for the Future.

Posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged andrew duff, chris davies, eu and mep awards | 2 Comments

Some first thoughts on the Budget

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 19th March 2014 - 2:23 pm

So the Chancellor has just sat down. Here are my first thoughts on the Budget.

Nick gets his Workers’ Bonus

The personal tax threshold rises to £10,500. I doubt it was anything to do with the petition being pushed on social media in the last few days. This was down to the hard work of our ministers staying on message, in volume, over time, in budget negotiations. Nick Clegg has stuck with this through the entire Parliament and given us a very tangible promise kept – and more. “I am proud of what we have achieved”, said Osborne. Aye right.

Posted in News | Tagged budget 2014, featured, george osborne, nick clegg and vince cable | 54 Comments

Michael Moore MP writes… Federalism: The best future for Scotland

By Michael Moore | Wed 19th March 2014 - 11:57 am

Last week saw the intervention of two giants of Scotland’s political landscape in the debate over Scottish independence. An emerging consensus came to light after Gordon Brown, the former prime minister, and Sir Menzies Campbell, former UK leader of the Lib Dems, issued separate calls for the Scottish parliament to be given sweeping new powers as an alternative to independence.

Posted in News | Tagged Scotland and Scottish independence referendum | 11 Comments

David Laws says Councils should charge for bin collections. Or does he?

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 19th March 2014 - 10:54 am

Today’s Telegraph says “David Laws: Councils should charge for bin collections”

It’s a headline designed to get you imagining piles of uncollected rubbish on the streets when people don’t pay. It’s designed to invoke all of your senses. The smell of waste left to putrify in the noonday sun, that tell-tale sound of scurrying little rodent feet, and then the sight of pink-eyed, hungry rats. Everywhere.

That unmistakeable smell of decay is already in your nostrils, isn’t it?

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged bin collections, david laws and public administration committee | 16 Comments

Why not scrap the annual Budget?

By Stephen Tall | Wed 19th March 2014 - 9:52 am

One of my top 3 suggestions for this year’s budget was: “Scrap the absurd twice-yearly cycle of Budgets and Autumn Statements.” It wasn’t an original idea – the economist Tim Harford suggested it a couple of years ago, arguing “It may be an enjoyable political platform but there is no economic justification for the annual kaleidoscope of trivia.”

Tory peer and Times commentator Danny Finkelstein has tooted the same horn today:

I think one of the most useful reforms the Chancellor could make is to scrap the annual

…

Posted in News | Tagged anthony wells, budget 2014, danny finkelstein and tim harford | 6 Comments

Nick’s Netmums Q & A on childcare

By NewsHound | Wed 19th March 2014 - 8:55 am

Over at Netmums, Nick Clegg has been answering questions about the new tax free childcare system announced yesterday. He explains the three elements, including the extra help for families on the lowest incomes:

Firstly, if you’re a working family with children under 12, which doesn’t receive tax credits, Universal Credit or Employer Supported Childcare, but both parents are working or you’re a lone working parent, the government will provide 20% of your child care costs up to £10,000 a year.

Posted in News | Tagged childcare, netmums and nick clegg | 2 Comments

Ming Campbell’s successor selected: Tim Brett to fight North East Fife for Lib Dems in 2015

By Stephen Tall | Tue 18th March 2014 - 4:45 pm

Former Lib Dem leader Ming Campbell announced last October he’d retire as MP for North East Fife at the next general election, after eight elections (five of them successful) and 28 years.

His successor has now been announced: Tim Brett, leader of Fife Council Liberal Democrats and former chief executive of Ninewells Hospital, will contest the seat for the Lib Dems. Here’s what his biography on the Scottish Lib Dem website says about him:

Tim has lived in NE Fife since 1985 and has been a Councillor since 2003. He held

…

Posted in Selection news | Tagged general election 2015, ming cambell, north east fife and tim brett | 7 Comments

The Independent View: Keep academy freedoms – and extend them to all schools

By Amy Finch | Tue 18th March 2014 - 3:31 pm

The question whether to curtail or extend academy freedoms to state-funded schools was resurrected last October in a speech by Nick Clegg. The answer he put forward was to extend academy freedoms to all schools, albeit in a limited form. Clegg would like to claw-back the freedoms academies have over unqualified teachers and the curriculum, but to extend the remaining freedoms to all state-funded schools.

Clegg’s new-found middle way is based on a belief that guaranteeing high standards in education is best achieved by curtailing autonomy. In October 2013, he said: “There is nothing…inconsistent in believing that greater school autonomy can be married to certain core standards for all.”

Yet high levels of autonomy and accountability are conducive to high pupil attainment. The Deputy Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, Andreas Schleicher, has said that England’s multiple measures of accountability, along with a “high level of autonomy and discretion at the front line”, are key to success in education.

Posted in The Independent View | Tagged academies, reform and schools | 20 Comments

Opinion: Panic – children are political

By Patrick McAuley | Tue 18th March 2014 - 2:44 pm

This morning I went through the day’s top headlines in my daily LGIU e-mail with the usual ‘some interesting stuff but nothing to get my knickers in a knot over’ attitude. That was until I came across an article in the Independent that read ‘Pupil Aaron Parfitt excluded after school protest calling for more homework‘.

The broader complaint was about standards in Bispham High School in Blackpool. I am tremendously impressed that a student of such tender years had the initiative, organisational skills and determination to follow through with a protest of this size. Following my last contribution on the …

Posted in News | Tagged school | 3 Comments

By-election victory in Ludlow North

By Mary Reid | Tue 18th March 2014 - 1:54 pm

Congratulations to former Lib Dem Voice editor Andy Boddington on a resounding victory in the Council by-election in Ludlow North!

Andy is the man in the hat – as always.

Posted in Council by-elections | Tagged andy boddington and ludlow north | 5 Comments

Julian Huppert writes: Improving the private rented sector

By Julian Huppert | Tue 18th March 2014 - 12:14 pm

There are 9 million people in the private rented sector in the UK. Many of them get a rough deal from landlords who push the rules, and letting agents out to exploit them.

Letting agencies have been allowed to charge exorbitant fees to do the simplest, cheapest administrative tasks – sending an email, posting a letter or changing a name on the tenancy. According to Shelter, 1 in 7 people who use letting agents spend £500 on fees, that’s on top of rent and deposits!

Last Wednesday, I presented a Bill to …

Posted in News | Tagged landlords, letting agencies and private rented sector | 10 Comments

Opinion: Ukraine is a crisis which we cannot back off from

By George Cunningham | Tue 18th March 2014 - 10:50 am

The insertion of Russian troops into the Crimea has profound implications for the security of Europe. It is like Europe has been awoken from a deep, snug slumber.

At I said in the emergency debate on Ukraine at the Spring Conference in York last weekend, events in Crimea have shown Russia breaking every principle in the international law rule book. The fact that it has intervened covertly, supposedly to protect Ukrainians of Russian origin, has profound security implications for the European Union’s Eastern borders – and in particular in the Baltic States …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged ukraine | 54 Comments

Opinion: We need a Cornish Assembly

By Simon Rix | Tue 18th March 2014 - 9:22 am

You won’t be surprised to learn that I am working day and night to win back Truro and Falmouth for the Lib Dems. You may also know that this year marks the 40^th anniversary of the first time David Penhaligon was elected as the MP for Truro.

Yes, he was a liberal hero to many people across the Country, but if ever there was someone who stood up for Cornwall and the Cornish people it was David Penhaligon.

He knew that Cornwall has its own language and its own vibrant culture but he …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged cornish assembly and cornwall | 29 Comments

Rose Garden love in “sick inducing” but necessary says Julia Goldsworthy

By Newsmoggie | Mon 17th March 2014 - 4:15 pm

In an interview in yesterday’s Independent on Sunday, Julia Goldsworthy, former MP for Falmouth and Camborne and ex Special Adviser to Danny Alexander, had this to say about the Rose Garden love-in on the day the Coalition was formed:

I sat at home watching Nick and David in their first press conference in the Rose Garden. I think probably for a lot of political activists it was quite sick-inducing, but it was absolutely necessary because of the economy and national interest. Coalition was a fairly new thing to get our heads around. It was fairly important to demonstrate that this was a relationship that could work. It was fairly important to ham it up at the start, to show that this was something that was going to last.

Posted in News | Tagged independent on sunday and julia goldsworthy | 38 Comments

Op-eds

A different story of hope for Liberalism in the 21st Century (Steve Mason)
Victoria Collins MP writes.. The ask that changes everything (Victoria Collins MP)
The Independent View: To get Britain growing again, we must cut the cost of doing business (Shevaun Haviland CBE)
Can Britain build a sovereign military AI? (Christian de Vartavan)
Are the men of violence back in British politics? (Chris Nelson)

Advert

Victoria Collins MP writes.. The ask that changes everything

To get Britain growing, we must cut business costs

Bobby Dean MP writes: The resilient state

Sarah Olney bids to become candidate for Mayor of London

Opinion: Not a budget for green policy

Opinion: Let’s have real “power to the people” for those of us outside the UK

A look ahead to Scottish Conference

The debates

The complete and utter list of Lib Dem MPs’ first tweets

“Steve Webb has now become one of the most important people in government”

Nick Clegg’s tribute to Tony Benn

The price of trusting people with their own money

Opinion: Some facts about Ukraine and Crimea

Call Clegg: Proud of Budget, help for parents, taking on Ed Balls and “silly” Shapps and keeping Scotland in the family

Liberal Reform response to Budget 2014

“I thought it was a spoof” Danny Alexander on Shapps’ “patronising” Bingo tweet

The Independent View: Rooting out criminal landlords

LibLink: Danny Alexander: We ignored siren voices in the Tory party on 40p tax rate to give £100 tax cut for all

Opinion: Expansion of apprenticeships shows that Liberal Democrats are the party of young people.

Awards for Liberal Democrat MEPs Chris Davies and Andrew Duff

Some first thoughts on the Budget

Nick gets his Workers’ Bonus

Michael Moore MP writes… Federalism: The best future for Scotland

David Laws says Councils should charge for bin collections. Or does he?

Why not scrap the annual Budget?

Nick’s Netmums Q & A on childcare

Ming Campbell’s successor selected: Tim Brett to fight North East Fife for Lib Dems in 2015

The Independent View: Keep academy freedoms – and extend them to all schools

Opinion: Panic – children are political

By-election victory in Ludlow North

Julian Huppert writes: Improving the private rented sector

Opinion: Ukraine is a crisis which we cannot back off from

Opinion: We need a Cornish Assembly

Rose Garden love in “sick inducing” but necessary says Julia Goldsworthy

Most Read

Op-eds

Recent Comments

Victoria Collins MP writes.. The ask that changes everything

To get Britain growing, we must cut business costs

Bobby Dean MP writes: The resilient state

Sarah Olney bids to become candidate for Mayor of London

The debates

Nick gets his Workers’ Bonus

Subscribe

Most Read

Search

Op-eds

Recent Comments