ALDC

ALDC’s By-Election Report – 6 February 2014

By ALDC | Wed 12th February 2014 - 4:15 pm

ALDC Master Logo (for screen)There were four principal by-elections last Thursday. The Liberal Democrats received disappointing results in the two by-elections they stood candidates in.

There were two by-elections in Clacton-on-Sea. In Peter Bruff ward, Tendring DC the Conservatives held onto the seat with 38.1% of the vote following the death of their councillor. Just 72 votes separated second and fourth place. Labour saw a very small rise in their vote coming second with 25.3% of the vote, UKIP did not stand in 2011 but came third on 21.5% and Liberal Democrat …

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Michael Moore

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 12th February 2014 - 2:52 pm

 Liberal Democrat MP Michael Moore writes a regular column for newspapers in his Borders Constituency. Here is the latest edition. 

Scotland’s place in the UK 

As the Referendum date quickly approaches, I was glad to have the chance to speak in a House of Commons debate last week on Scotland’s place in the UK.

As part of the United Kingdom we have fantastic economic opportunities through the single market, greater security due to having a seat at the top table at NATO, and the ability for Scotland to punch above its weight internationally due to the UK Foreign Office network around the world.

It …

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Posted in Op-eds, Parliament and Scotland | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Norman Lamb MP

Norman Lamb MP writes…Francis, one year on

By Norman Lamb MP | Wed 12th February 2014 - 1:00 pm

A year ago last week, Robert Francis QC published his report into the failings at Stafford Hospital, and set out his recommendations to ensure that those failings would not be repeated.  As a Liberal Democrat, I am committed to delivering better care, and ensuring that everyone is treated with dignity and respect when they come into contact with our health and care system. Today I want to report back myself on what we have achieved so far.

There are dedicated staff across the NHS and the care sector, who work tirelessly day after day to provide the best possible care for …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 2 Comments
Mathew Hulbert

Opinion: Celebrating 28 special people in LGBT History Month

By Mathew Hulbert | Wed 12th February 2014 - 11:59 am

LGBT History MonthThis month is LGBT History Month, which exists to celebrate the lives of the LGBT Community.

As a gay man and, therefore, a proud member of that community, I wanted to mark this very special month in my own way.

So I decided that every day in February I would write a daily tweet and Facebook post about someone I look up to in our community…an LGBT Hero.

Among those I’ve already tweeted and posted about are a number of Liberal Democrats: Adrian Trett, the former Chair of LGBT+LDs and a …

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Posted in Op-eds | 2 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Nick Clegg: Only the Liberal Democrats are prepared to stand up for Britain’s place in Europe.

By NewsHound | Wed 12th February 2014 - 11:00 am

Nick Clegg has been writing over at the Independent to mark 100 days before the European elections.

He has a simple and clear message – you can only trust the Liberal Democrats to stand up for Britain’s interests, and therefore safeguard jobs, in Europe. He says that the Euros don’t usually “set the heart racing”, but this time, there’s a lot to lose:

Ukip has been coming up on the rails in British politics for years and it sees this May as its breakthrough moment. Mainstream politicians have made the mistake in the past of not taking UKIP, or the people who

…

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Posted in Europe / International and LibLink | Tagged , , and | 68 Comments
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Caron Lindsay

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #364

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 12th February 2014 - 10:26 am

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 364th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere … Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (2-8 February, 2014), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.

As ever, let’s start with the most popular post, and work our way down:

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Martin Horwood

Martin Horwood MP writes: Liberal Democrats must be the voice of small business in Europe

By Martin Horwood | Wed 12th February 2014 - 8:52 am

It’s common knowledge that small businesses are the dynamic engines behind economic recoveries – light-footed, innovative and quick to seize the opportunities of growth.  I met just such a business in my own Cheltenham constituency recently, exporting highly specialised cleaning products to the world. Today in Brussels the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) launches its manifesto for the European elections and it is full of great ideas for making the European Union more competitive, accountable and efficient – all priorities for Liberal Democrat Members of the next European Parliament.

Our MEPs and ministers have already achieved some notable …

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Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | Tagged and | 1 Comment
Stephen Tall

Ed Miliband’s “People Powered Public Services”: some interesting ideas lurk beyond the bland

By Stephen Tall | Wed 12th February 2014 - 7:45 am

I read Ed Miliband’s Hugo Young lecture on the train home last night to save you the trouble. No need to thank me. Actually there are some good parts to it, which I’ll come onto. And if you want to share my pleasure the full text is available here.

However, I’d suggest skipping the first 1,685 words which can be summarised as, “Life can be unfair. I, Ed Miliband, have noticed this and so have lots of other people, like Obama and the Pope.” Along the way he name-checks Margaret Thatcher (a conviction politician, y’see… except for all the …

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Stephen Knight

Opinion: Tackling debt problems in our communities

By Stephen Knight | Tue 11th February 2014 - 4:50 pm

payday londonMuch attention has recently been given to the growth of payday lending and with very good reason.

In the first quarter of 2009/10, across the UK, just 1% of Citizens Advice Bureau debt casework clients had at least one payday loan.  But by the same quarter of 2012/13 the figures show 10% of their debt casework had at least one payday loan.  Similarly, in November 2012 the debt charity StepChange reported that the proportion of their clients with payday loans had soared, from 3.7% in 2009, to 17% in 2012.

This growth in incredibly expensive debt is of course the legal end of the market.  We should never forget that on top of the growth of payday lending there has been a growth in illegal lending by loan sharks.  To give some indication of the growth of loan sharks it is worth noting that research from Liverpool John Moores University suggests that one in twenty low-income borrowers in London, that have been refused credit,  have then turned to a loan shark.

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 6 Comments
Lord Roger Roberts

Lord Roger Roberts writes: The Immigration Bill – does it help or hinder?

By Lord Roger Roberts | Tue 11th February 2014 - 3:50 pm

Lords TwitterIt’s not too well known outside the House, but there are three UKIP-affiliated Peers sitting in the Lords. And interestingly, despite being members of a party that shouts the loudest about immigration, not one of them turned up to yesterday’s Immigration Bill second reading debate. Read into that what you will.

But what about the excellent speeches that Liberal Democrats Peers gave? You can read a summary of my speech below (finding the full version, here – and the Parliament TV link at 19:27, here). I also urge you to follow my colleagues’ activities on TheyWorkForYou, via our @LibDemLords account and through our Group’s blog.

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 3 Comments
Gordon Birtwistle MP

Gordon Birtwistle’s apprenticeships report for January

By Gordon Birtwistle MP | Tue 11th February 2014 - 2:20 pm

I have had a busy start to the year promoting apprenticeships and meeting with businesses; I thought I would share some of my findings with Lib Dem Voice.

I’ve been on some fantastic visits over the past month or two, seeing some truly inspirational outfits offering apprenticeships. In December I visited Gloucestershire Engineering Training centre in Steve Webb’s constituency. The GET provides training in mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering disciplines. I met 88 first year apprentices, including Lib Dem member Eva Fielding, one of three female engineers on the programme. The MD communicated her primary concerns; namely costings and encouraging local …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 2 Comments
Mary Reid

Should political parties pay for policing at conferences?

By Mary Reid | Tue 11th February 2014 - 1:37 pm

policeFollowing a Freedom of Information request the BBC has obtained figures for the amounts spent on policing political party conferences.

It seems that over the last five years the Home Office has provided £106 million in special grants to fund the police presence at one-off events such as major protests or the Royal wedding. £50 million of that has gone on party conferences.

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 10 Comments
Stephen Tall

Must-read analysis from Peter Kellner on where the 5 million missing 2010 Lib Dem voters have gone

By Stephen Tall | Tue 11th February 2014 - 1:20 pm

A fascinating piece of polling research from YouGov’s Peter Kellner in today’s Guardian, looking at how votes have churned since the 2010 general election.

My working assumption looking at the headline poll ratings has been that there’s been relatively little movement between Labour and the Conservatives, with most of the movement from the Lib Dems to Labour and from the Tories to Ukip. YouGov’s research shows how simplistic that assumption about votes lost/gained in the last four years is:

vote churn peter kellner - feb 2014

Three quick points drawn from this table:

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Posted in Polls | Tagged , and | 40 Comments
Kiron Reid

Opinion: What are we going to do about male underperformance?

By Kiron Reid | Tue 11th February 2014 - 12:09 pm

What is our society going to do about underachievement by males? It is well documented at school level that girls overall significantly outperform boys. This is now repeated at University level. In non-science subjects admissions are large majority female. In nearly all subject areas females outperform males on average by up to 10% (more exaggerated in arts and social sciences). There is the same pattern in graduate jobs. If you look at the professions: medicine, dentistry, vets, law, the new intake is heavily female dominated. New members of barristers’ chambers, solicitors’ firms and accountancy practices are usually overwhelmingly female.

Look at …

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Posted in News | Tagged | 27 Comments
The Voice

Nick Clegg: Finishing the job and finishing it early

By The Voice | Tue 11th February 2014 - 10:34 am

nick clegg pointingThis is the text of Nick Clegg’s speech at Mansion House yesterday evening:

A lot has happened since I spoke here last February. At that time, critics of the government’s economic strategy were still clamouring for a Plan B. Around the country you could feel a growing restlessness as people wondered when, if, things would get better. And, in government, we just had to hold our nerve.

Today, a year later, it’s clear that was the right decision. Growth is back, unemployment down, 1.6 million jobs created in the private sector, the deficit reduced by a third, confidence returning. There is a lot more to do, but Britain is now firmly on the road to health. My party takes a lot of pride in that, we know there are people out there who didn’t think we had it in us. But we entered coalition precisely to provide the stable government needed to fix the economy. And, without the choice the Liberal Democrats took in May 2010 to secure that stability, Britain would not have the steady recovery, rising employment and shrinking fiscal deficit we now enjoy.

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Mark Pack

Opinion: the politics of the reshuffle

By Mark Pack | Tue 11th February 2014 - 8:44 am

Lynne featherstone by paul walterNorman BakerThere has been a consistent thread running through Nick Clegg’s most recent government reshuffles: get good campaigners into posts where they can run successful high profile campaigns, implementing liberal policies and winning Liberal Democrat votes.

Put like that, it sounds uncontroversial, but when it has involved the departure of Jeremy Browne from government and swapping out from posts in the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence, it has been rather more controversial.

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 8 Comments
Ed Davey

Edward Davey writes… Gas profits

By Ed Davey | Mon 10th February 2014 - 7:05 pm

Gas flame burning, creative pictureLast year I asked Ofgem, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) & the new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to start producing annual competition assessments which will look at the way energy companies operate in detail.  They will also set out any actions they deem necessary.

The first of their reviews will be published this Spring and I have just written to them outlining new evidence I want to be considered as part of their investigations.

Essentially the new evidence focuses on the profits some energy companies are making …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 13 Comments
Norman Lamb MP

Norman Lamb MP writes… Why I’ll be voting to ban smoking in cars carrying children

By Norman Lamb MP | Mon 10th February 2014 - 5:56 pm

Later this evening, MPs will be given a vote on proposals to ban smoking in cars carrying children. It will be a free vote, and within each party there will be MPs who vote each way. If the proposal is approved, from next year it could become a criminal offence to smoke when there is a child in the car.

There would be no new police resource allocated to enforcing the ban proactively. But this would send a clear message out that smoking in cars with children is unacceptable, and I support the measure wholeheartedly.

Votes like this always raise questions about …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 8 Comments
The Voice

Nick Clegg: The Liberal who came to power

By The Voice | Mon 10th February 2014 - 5:30 pm

This evening at 8pm on Radio 4 you can catch the first of two episodes with this title, the second one being on the following Monday.  Steve Richards of the Independent talks to Nick and to other party members …

We explore Nick Clegg’s leadership through turbulent times, assessing his political beliefs. How was a left-leaning party able to partner up with Conservatives with such apparent ease? What was the cost? And, with a hung parliament still very much in prospect in 2015, we show how Nick Clegg’s politics and character could matter hugely to the future of British politics.

Posted in News | Tagged | 2 Comments
The Voice

LDVideo: Matthew Oakeshott on the Lib Dem differentiation strategy

By The Voice | Mon 10th February 2014 - 4:05 pm

BBC’s Sunday Politics looked at recent statements by leading Lib Dems – including three of the Coalition’s biggest champions, Nick Clegg, Danny Alexander and David Laws – widely seen as an attempt to differentiate the party from the Conservatives:

Post by BBC Daily Politics & Sunday Politics.
Posted in YouTube | Tagged and | 3 Comments
The Voice

Legal action to be launched by Lord Rennard unless Lib Dems lift membership suspension

By The Voice | Mon 10th February 2014 - 3:50 pm

The BBC reports:

Lib Dem peer Lord Rennard has written to his party giving it until Thursday to lift his suspension, the BBC understands. If it fails to do so Lord Rennard is threatening to seek costs from those involved in his suspension, including party president Tim Farron.

The former Lib Dem chief executive was suspended after four female activists accused him of sexual harassment. He denied the claims, but was asked to apologise by an internal investigation. The investigation, led by senior barrister Alistair Webster QC, concluded the claims against Lord Rennard were credible but could not be proven beyond

…

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 34 Comments
Ros Kayes

Opinion: Do we have the bottle to tackle welfare head on?

By Ros Kayes | Mon 10th February 2014 - 2:56 pm

There’s been a lot of ideology thrown around about welfare and benefits since the 2010 election – coupled with an equal reluctance to address what appears to be the fundamental question: can we afford to retain the current post- war model of welfare at its current level?

Liberal Democrat policy on welfare has not been updated since 1994. And there has undoubtedly been a devastating impact on the most needy as a result of this lack of clarity and indecision . The effect of tightening welfare payments and of delays in payment of benefits combined with …

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Posted in News | 34 Comments
Adrian Sanders

Adrian Sanders writes from the cut-off far South West

By Adrian Sanders | Mon 10th February 2014 - 1:25 pm

Three big issues face the South West and the future of its rail links to the rest of the country.

The first big issue is resilience east of Exeter. What we do west of the city is irrelevant if we cannot get beyond Taunton in the north and Crewkerne in the east.

Being cut off at Exeter for the second year running presents an opportunity to focus on what is in all our best interests and that means reliable, faster and greater capacity services to and from the West Country.

The Government has already given the go-ahead for the …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 14 Comments
Nick T

Uncomfortable truths from the IFS on public spending and tax cuts but cautious optimism on economic growth

By Nick T | Mon 10th February 2014 - 11:59 am

Last week, the highly-respected Institute for Fiscal Studies produced its annual “Green Budget”: its attempt to inject some realism into the national debate on the economy ahead of the chancellor’s actual budget in March.

The document makes for uncomfortable reading in parts, particularly as we head towards another general election in which the complicity of silence on deficit reduction is likely to be as deafening as it was in 2010.

IFS borrowingDeficit reduction: significant progress, but some way to go

Starting with the deficit, the IFS’s conclusions are stark. Had the government not taken steps to increase taxes and cut spending in the years since 2008, they estimate that the deficit would have reached 10% of national income by 2018-19. Because of the estimated 16.7% permanent reduction in economic capacity caused by the crash of 2008, 98% of that deficit would be “structural” – i.e. would not be expected to reduce naturally once growth picked up:

For an economy such as the UK, this level of borrowing would have been unsustainable on an ongoing basis. Public sector net debt would have increased markedly year-on-year, likely surpassing 100% of national income before the end of the current decade, and 200% within the next two decades.

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The Voice

Davey demands gas price investigation

By The Voice | Mon 10th February 2014 - 10:38 am

Energy minister Ed Davey has written to the regulators questioning high profit margins on retail gas, and demanding an investigation: reported by the BBC, Independent and others.

It is suggested that if gas margins were similar to those for electricity, this could save the typical household £40 per year. The letter suggests that British Gas/Centrica prices and profits suggest a monopoly position.

The full text of the letter is here, and you can read more of our coverage of energy prices here.

Posted in News | Tagged | 4 Comments
Dee Doocey

Wanted: Your views on slavery

By Dee Doocey | Mon 10th February 2014 - 8:36 am

“Slavery?” I hear you cry. “In this day and age?”

Sadly, slavery is still very much with us. And it’s not a problem found only in far away countries. It’s happening right here, right now, in Britain.

The extent of the problem and proposed remedies were set out in the Report of the Modern Slavery Bill Evidence Review, chaired by Frank Field MP and published on 16th December 2013.

The government is now proposing new legislation to tackle the problem. As part of the process of preparing this legislation, a Joint Committee on the Draft Modern Slavery Bill has …

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Posted in News | Tagged | 4 Comments
Stephen Tall

In the next month 21 seats will short-list their wannabe Lib Dem MPs

By Stephen Tall | Sun 9th February 2014 - 3:45 pm

Lib Dems winning hereHere’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. They include five of the seats on the party’s top 50 target list: Edinburgh South, York Outer (following Nick Emmerson’s withdrawal), Devon West and Torridge, Bristol North West, and Chelmsford.

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

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Posted in Selection news | 10 Comments
The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 9th February 2014 - 12:00 pm

Many thanks to the 19,300 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

Emma Gilpin-Jacobs quits as Director of Communications to the DPM (15 comments) by The Voice

Opinion: Eastern Europeans hold the key to the European elections (42) by Issan Ghazni

Sarah Yong selected as Liberal Democrat candidate for Somerton and Frome (13) by Caron Lindsay

Lewis Baston on the polls and ‘How the Lib Dems will actually do’ (36) by Stephen Tall

YouGov asks: What is it about Lib Dems and Sci-Fi? (25) by Mary Reid

Mike Hancock resigns from Lib Dem cabinet …

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Stephen Tall

UPDATED: Full list of Lib Dems standing in our held seats and top 50 targets

By Stephen Tall | Sun 9th February 2014 - 8:45 am

We’re 15 months from the May 2015 election so here’s my latest running check on how candidate selection is going in our held and key target seats…

Lib Dems winning hereI published a first draft of this list at the start of October, and asked readers to help me update it. Many thanks to those of you who have helped me keep it updated, including the party’s Candidates Services Office. Here’s the latest version of the list of (re-)selections in our held seats and the top 50 targets for the party.

It’s a snapshot of how the party’s doing in getting people in place in the battleground seats that will determine the extent of Lib Dem influence in the next parliament:

Held seats: 45/57 MPs re-selected or candidates selected where MPs retiring (79%); 8/57 MPs retiring (14%) – 6 successors selected.

Top targets from Tories: 14/27 candidates selected (52%).

Top targets from Labour: 11/23 candidates selected (48%).

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Posted in News | Tagged | 8 Comments
Stephen Tall

Nick Clegg: “If you are anti-drugs, you should be pro-reform”

By Stephen Tall | Sun 9th February 2014 - 8:00 am

clegg drugs observerThe message may not be new – Nick Clegg first declared that “If you are anti-drugs, you should be pro-reform” back in December 2012 – but that’s no reason not to welcome the Lib Dem leader’s re-statement that urgent reform of the UK’s drugs laws is needed.

It’s the splash in today’s Observer, which reports:

In some of the most outspoken comments on the issue by a serving British politician, Clegg laments the current situation in which “one in five young people have admitted taking drugs in the

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 56 Comments
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