Matthew Ma

ALDC’s by-election report 3 October 2024

By Matthew Ma | Mon 7th October 2024 - 4:12 pm

Four principal council by-elections were held this week, with Labour defending three and SNP defending one. Most seats changed hands, with Labour losing all three seats they were defending and SNP holding the last. We stood in all four and our candidates have carried forth the momentum from past weeks to register gains in vote share on all seats. 

The stand-out result this week came from Dundee Council in Strathmartine ward. The first place SNP lost more than 10% of first preference votes while the Lib Dems gained 8%. Counting continued to the fifth round, where Jenny Blain finished close second: just 32 votes behind SNP! Well done and thank you to Jenny and Dundee Lib Dems for putting up such a great fight, setting us up for a Lib Dem victory next election.  

Dundee, Strathmartine (first preference results, SNP elected at stage 5)
SNP: 1188 (35%, -10.3%)
Liberal Democrats (Jenny Blain): 912 (26.9%, +8.2%)
Labour: 911 (26.9%, +4.0%)
Conservative: 143 (4.2%, -1.7%)
Green Party: 121 (3.6%, +0.2%)
TUSC: 116 (3.4%, +2.7%)

Another by-election in Dundee Council in Lochee sees an SNP gain from Labour after seven stages. Thank you to Outi Bourke for standing and growing our vote share here. 

Dundee, Lochee (first preference results, SNP elected at stage 7)
SNP: 1203 (37.3%, -5.9%)
Labour: 1148 (35.6%, -0.2%)
Conservative: 219 (6.8%, -1.6%)
Alba Party: 178 (5.5%, +2.4%)
Green Party: 176 (5.5%, +1.3%)
Liberal Democrats (Outi Bourke): 156 (4.8%, +1.7%)
Workers Party of Britain: 143 (4.4%, new)

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The Voice

Maiden speeches: Edward Morello, MP for West Dorset

By The Voice | Mon 7th October 2024 - 12:48 pm

The next stop on our maiden speeches tour is West Dorset MP Edward Morello, who made his debut on 12 September in an adjournment debate held to remember the MP David Amess who was murdered during a constituency surgery in 2021.

The text is below:

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Robert Harrison

ALDE Congress in Estoril: Day of Decisions

By Robert Harrison | Mon 7th October 2024 - 10:32 am

The second day of the ALDE Congress started with the usual family photo before heading off to the plenary session for passage of the resolutions. Given that most of them had been previously extensively discussed and compromise texts established, then most of the resolution were passed without any substantive opposition.

Proposed by the LibDems were resolutions on Israel and Gaza as well as Hezbollah which was like the one passed by our own conference in Brighton. This was amended by the Dutch VVD and the German FDP to include a call for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

Our resolution calling for the freedom of Russian political prisoners, with a massive contribution by one of our members of Russian origin, was unsurprisingly passed without any opposition. The governing Servants of the People party from Ukraine filed a resolution calling for toughening of the sanctions regime, strengthening military support, and for a return of the kidnapped children from Russia.

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The Voice

Ed Davey on 7th October one year on: “We must stand with the Jewish community against hate and violence”

By The Voice | Mon 7th October 2024 - 8:45 am

Commenting on the one year anniversary of the 7th October terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

As we remember the terror and pain of October 7th, we must all come together and stand in solidarity against hate and violence. One year ago, we awoke to those horrifying scenes in Israel of Hamas’s brutal terrorist atrocities.

When I visited Israel and Palestine a few months ago, I saw for myself the destruction and devastation at the Kfar Aza kibbutz and the festival site in Re’im. I met Itzik, a father waiting for news of his

…

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Mark Valladares

5-6 October 2024 – the weekend press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 6th October 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Children with developmental concerns almost doubles
  • McArthur launches probe into proposed use of live facial recognition tech
  • New survey lays bare crisis in social care

Children with developmental concerns almost doubles

Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today urged the SNP government to do far more to support children from poorer backgrounds, as new figures revealed that the percentage of children with developmental concerns has almost doubled since 2019.

Child health reviews are offered to all children in Scotland. These reviews refer to assessments of a child’s development at 13-15 months, 27-30 months and 4-5 years.

The figures from Public Health Scotland published this week show:

  • Of those children who received a 4-5 year review, the percentage with developmental concerns increased from 11.87% in 2019 to 17.71% in 2024.
  • 16.68% of children who received a 27-30 month review (1,915 children) had a concern noted about at least one area of their development;
  • There were high numbers of children who had a concern noted in the following areas: gross motor, speech, language and communication and emotional and behavioural;
  • 11.53% of children who received a 27-30 month review had a new or previous concern recorded for speech, language and communication, while 8.1% of children who received a 13-15 month review had a new or previous concern recorded for gross motor.

Mr Rennie said:

Scotland’s children should be growing up in the best environment, but on the SNP’s watch far too many are showing developmental concerns.

The pandemic was incredibly challenging for parents and children. Rather than invest to support families, SNP ministers have fallen short.

The government must put in place extra support for all those children who have had a developmental concern noted. I want to see ministers doing everything in their power to ensure that issues are identified and addressed as early as possible so that every child can flourish, no matter their background or circumstance.

McArthur launches probe into proposed use of live facial recognition tech

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur has filed 40 parliamentary questions on Police Scotland’s proposed use of live facial recognition as he bids to force the Scottish Government to explain how the measures are compatible with equalities and civil liberties concerns.

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Nicholas Chan

UK’s International Development needs funds and a long-term vision to meet its stated objectives

By Nicholas Chan | Sun 6th October 2024 - 1:58 pm

The UK’s International Development is not meeting its own set of objectives on national security because of the lack of funds and vision. The Guardian reported that the international development budget will be 0.36% of gross national income (GNI).

For a clearer perspective, I would re-write the title to: UK International Development Fund will Reach All Times Lows in Failure to Protect International Order

We should stop calling it ‘Foreign Aid’. The UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) has laid out a strategy since 2015 to tackle global challenges in the national interest and calls for creating prosperity together with developing countries. “Foreign Aid” has shifted to providing funds and working with international partners for developments in education, health and infrastructure for the past decade. The aim is to enable developing countries to become resilient networks in prosperity, secured supply chain, civil liberties and global values. Only then dependence on the patronage of China can be avoided, and patronage from China will only pull nations further into autocracy.

The finer details are more discomfiting. In 2024, the largest recipient of the UK’s ODA is Ukraine. Indeed, Ukraine must be defended. Also, many Ukrainians are displaced and require humanitarian aid. However, the budget should be attributed outside of the remits of the International Development budget or as a special injection of funds. Our support for Ukraine should not come at the expense of International Development in the Global South.

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Tom Arms

Tom Arms’ World Review

By Tom Arms | Sun 6th October 2024 - 10:25 am

China

The Chinese leadership is worried. Their country’s long history is peppered with instances of the “Mandate of Heaven” falling from the rulers’ shoulders because of economic problems.

On top of that there is the obvious fact that autocracies run the risk of violent dissent because the non-violent avenues of protest are banned.

Paramount Leader Xi Jinping has warned of “potential dangers” and added that the Chinese Communist Party must be “well-prepared” to “overcome grave challenges.” In Xi-speak this means a crackdown on dissent accompanied with measures to help the middle classes  and criticism of wealthy people who flaunt their riches.

In this week alone. The party has authorised cash hand-outs, tried to shake up the ailing property market and held a surprise meeting to kick start the economy. But three years of economic slowdown and Covid lockdown have taken a toll and economists believe that it is unlikely that China will hit the relatively modest (for China) target of 5 percent growth in the economy.

The Chinese young people have been particularly hard hit. Unemployment among the 16 to 24 year olds hit 21.3 percent in 2023. In January this year the government stopped issuing figures which implies that the youth jobless statistics have soared even higher. Also impacted has been the promotion prospects for those fortunate enough to be in employment.

For decades the Chinese have been admired – and feared—for their extraordinary work ethic. The changes in the economy, however, have created a shift in attitudes towards work. According to a recent survey by American online pollsters, in 2013, 63 percent of recent graduates said hard work paid. Ten years later the figure had dropped to 28.3 percent.

The survey by N. Aliskey, S, Rozelle and M. Whyte also revealed a fear for the future. In 2014, 76.5 percent of those polled were optimistic about the future and said that the economy and their lives had improved over the past five years. In 2023 the figure was 38.8 percent.

According to the think tank Freedom House, in the second quarter of 2024 there has been an 18 percent rise in protests and three-quarters of these were based on economic grievances. From June 2022, Freedom House has logged 6,400 incidents of dissent, and their research does not include Xinjiang or Tibet where dissent is the strongest.

United States

J.D Vance won the vice-presidential debate. That was the general consensus. That consensus is not good news for J.D. Vance. Donald Trump does not like the spotlight being shifted away from him.

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Robert Harrison

ALDE Congress in Estoril: A Rallying Call for Liberal Values and International Cooperation

By Robert Harrison | Sat 5th October 2024 - 9:50 pm

I don’t know how many ALDE Congresses I have visited over the last few years, but the one in Estoril, Portugal, was similar to most of them. The 500+ delegates, including around 20 from the LibDems, provides a platform to discuss global challenges, affirm our commitment to mutual liberal values, and outline strategies for the future.

The first day was dominated by the elections to the ALDE Bureau, with the election of a new President and six new Vice Presidents. German MEP Svenja Hahn was the only candidate for the Presidency. She’s known to many Liberal Democrats as a former President of the youth movement, LYMEC, and spoke to the delegates of her love for the UK having spent some time working in St. Albans. Our own Sal Brinton was one of the candidates for the Vice Presidency. The results will be declared tomorrow morning.

The main Congress kicked off with speeches from current ALDE Presidents Timmy Dooley from Ireland and Ilhan Kyuchyuk from Bulgaria, who provided a thorough report on the activities of the past year. They talked about the recent elections which returned a much smaller Liberal group in the European Parliament. Unsurprisingly, a further theme of their address was the ongoing war in Ukraine. Their focus was on the crucial support provided by ALDE members to Ukraine in its fight for sovereignty and democracy. The pair underscored the importance of continued aid and diplomatic backing for the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s aggression.

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Tom Arms

Observations of an Expat: Middle East Consequences

By Tom Arms | Sat 5th October 2024 - 10:23 am

The Gaza War has escalated to become the Middle East war and Israel is winning – for now.

But the problem is that the Israeli government’s strategy is based entirely on total military victory over Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and their backer Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – pushed by his ultra-orthodox allies – has left no room for political compromise or any consideration of the wider consequences.

At the UN General Assembly this week, the Israeli Prime Minister declared: “There is no place” In the Middle East that Israel’s “long arm cannot reach.” He then left the chamber to make a phone call ordering the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. He and a large slice of Hezbollah’s senior command structure were dead within the hour.

Shortly afterwards, Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

Iran could be restrained no longer. They were being humiliated. Tehran launched the largest ever missile attack on Tel Aviv. Thanks to Israel’s iron dome and American and British jets, only a handful of the missiles broke through. Netanyahu responded by pronouncing: “Iran made a big mistake…and it will pay for it.”

How will Israel make Iran pay for their attack? What will be America’s response? How about Russia, China and the Arab states? What are the likely consequences of what appears to be the start of a Middle East war?

First of all, we should examine the role of Hezbollah in the context of the wider relationships of the Middle East. Hezbollah is, first and foremost a creature of Iran. Its primary purpose is to act as a deterrent defensive shield against a threatened Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Its estimated 45,000-strong military force and 100,000-plus missiles were thought to be enough to keep Israel off balance and occupied but not nearly enough to invade the Jewish state and defeat it in a proper war.

But even as a defensive shield, Hezbollah has been weakening in recent years. Lebanon’s multiplying political and economic problems have been largely blamed at the party’s insistence of working as a state within a state while at the same time attempting to control the legitimate Lebanese political apparatus. Hezbollah is unpopular with the Lebanese people.

Then there are the missile attacks it has launched on northern Israel since 8 October. It may have started with 100,000 rockets and drones, but military analysts believe that at least half of Hezbollah’s arsenal has been either fired or destroyed by Israeli counterattacks.

Finally, there is Israel’s infiltration of Hezbollah’s communications system and the assassination of key figures. The destruction of pagers and walkie talkies indicates that Mossad has the ability to tell where almost every Hezbollah fighter is at any given time and the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) has the ability to destroy them with sophisticated guided missiles.

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Katharine Pindar

Our challenge is needed now on the cost of living crisis

By Katharine Pindar | Fri 4th October 2024 - 2:51 pm

Our election pledge was clear: after commitment to the NHS and social care and protecting the environment, ‘We will help people with the cost of living.’

We knew that was what most people wanted, after we had knocked on 2,741,251 doors (thanks, HQ!) in the General Election campaign, and national focus groups and polls had confirmed it.

A Labour Party study into How Labour Won, reported in The Guardian, found that people voting Labour in this campaign  had the same priorities. But what is the new Labour Government doing to help with the cost of living?

Taking the Winter Fuel Allowance away from millions of pensioners was a poor start. Justifying that by referring to the expected increase in the Triple Lock payments next April? The point seems lost on this Government, that pensioners have to try to live through the coldest months of this winter before April, now missing the extra hundreds of pounds that had helped with heating costs in past winters.

Our MPs moved a motion against the cut in the Commons. And now is surely the time for our Leader to challenge Keir Starmer at PMQs on the continuing crisis of the cost of living. The cost of gas and electricity went up on October 1st. The price of oil may rise with the continuing Middle East conflicts. Yet the help with household energy bills which was even managed by the late Conservative Government is not being offered now.

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Mary Reid

We must rebuild Music Education

By Mary Reid | Fri 4th October 2024 - 11:44 am

This post is based on the speech I gave at Conference on the music industry. (Motion F36)

I have spoken at conference on many issues – from funerals, to IT to empowering communities – but it is rare for us to have a chance to talk about the Creative Arts. As a society we do take artists, and what they produce, for granted.

Music, drama and images are so much embedded in our lives that we often forget that there is a huge industry behind them, supporting individuals whose creativity needs to be nurtured, and often from an early age.

Most of us experience and enjoy a wide range of musical genres, through our headphones, as background music to films, and live at gigs held in arenas, concert halls, clubs and pubs.  And we all DO music as well – we sing at sports events, we do karaoke (some better than others), we dance, we hum theme tunes, we clap along and tap our feet, we sing hymns (well some of us do). Music is part of who we are.

I have a particular reason for wanting to write about music – my only direct involvement has been as an enthusiastic member of a choral society, but in my, only slightly extended, family eight members work professionally (or have worked) in the music industry. They include seven performers, two music producers, two songwriters, five instrumental teachers, two music publishers and one event organiser. Now you may have spotted that adds up to more than eight, which underlines my first point – music is a precarious industry and most professionals are free-lance, so many of them double up their roles.

However, I particularly want to focus on music education.

Michael Gove and the Tories have seriously damaged education with their emphasis, not on the whole child’s development, but on the economic benefits to society of STEM subjects. Now I am a Computer Scientist, so I don’t disparage STEM – but that’s not all there is to life.

Music education breeds the musicians of the future, and crucially it also breeds the audiences of the future. But more than that, learning music develops all children academically. It has huge cognitive benefits which transfer right across the curriculum.

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The Voice

Maiden Speeches: Helen Maguire MP for Epsom and Ewell

By The Voice | Fri 4th October 2024 - 8:56 am

Back to Surrey for the next stop in our maiden speeches tour. Helen Maguire, MP for Epsom and Ewell spoke in the adjournment debate in memory of David Amess MP.

The text is below:

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Mark Valladares

3 October 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 3rd October 2024 - 11:58 pm
  • Record high numbers living in temporary accommodation as Lib Dems call on govt to end homelessness this Parliament
  • Ed Davey calls for boost for unpaid carers as figures show one in four not in work
  • Cole-Hamilton pens letter to former Conservative voters urging them to abandon party
  • 1 in 9 Scots report mental health condition
  • 627,700 unpaid carers in Scotland
  • Cole-Hamilton comments on further Creative Scotland funding delay

Record high numbers living in temporary accommodation as Lib Dems call on govt to end homelessness this Parliament

The number of families living in temporary accommodation has reached a record high, the latest homelessness statistics have revealed, while there has been a 14.2% rise in rough sleeping.

The number of households reported in temporary accommodation reached 117,450 in March 2024 – the highest figure since these records began in 1998. This includes a 14.7% rise in the number of households with children living in temporary accommodation taking the total to 74,530.

There were also large increases last year in the number of households owed homelessness support by their local authority. Local authorities made 94,280 main homelessness duty decisions in 2023-24 – up by 25.1% on 2022-23.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to publish a cross-Whitehall plan to end all forms of homelessness within this Parliament. The party said that the plans should include more support for councils to tackle the shocking rise in the number of people in temporary accommodation.

Responding to the latest figures, Liberal Democrat Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson, Vikki Slade MP said:

It is heartbreaking to think that so many families and children will be on the streets or without a place to call home this winter.

For years, the previous Conservative government chose to ignore the thousands that are rough sleeping and broke their promise to ban no fault evictions.

The new government must address this awful situation as a matter of urgency and that starts by publishing a cross-Whitehall plan to end all forms of homelessness within this Parliament.

This strategy must include more support for councils to tackle the shocking rise in families using temporary accommodation. No longer should we see people forced to sleep rough and unable to access the support they need.

Ed Davey calls for boost for unpaid carers as figures show one in four not in work

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will call on the government to boost support for unpaid carers, on a visit to a charity that supports children and young adults with Down syndrome and those who care for them.

It comes as House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed unpaid carers are a sixth less likely to be employed, with one in four classed as ‘economically inactive’.

The data reveals that just 50% of ‘adult informal carers’ were in employment compared to 60% of all adults, making them a sixth less likely to be employed. Disturbingly, the data also showed that informal carers were a third more likely to be ‘permanently sick/disabled’ than the rest of the population, with almost one in 10 unpaid carers classified to be so.

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Mary Reid

Oddities

By Mary Reid | Thu 3rd October 2024 - 8:06 pm

We do get some surprising offers here on Lib Dem Voice. Of course, we all get spam in our personal mailboxes, but as a media giant we also get people offering to pay for posts on LDV. This is all about Search Engine Optimisation – in other words gaming Google to get their organisation high in the search lists.

We never fall for these proposals, but we do have some fun with them behind the scenes.

Here is a typical request:

Hello,

Hope  you are doing well

I’m looking for guest posts with “Home/ Business / Office Furniture / Lifestyle” related Sites and blogs.

I recently came across your blog and found it very interesting.

The article that I have is related to your website and will be appreciated by your readers.

I guarantee you that the article will be 100% unique, top quality and Copyscape protected and will not be shared with any other site.

Please let me know if this sounds good to you so that we can send the article to you for review.

Hope to have a positive response.

Over the last few months people have offered us posts on the following topics:

  • The Extra Neutral Alcohol Market. I had to look that up; apparently it refers to uses of ethanol. The correspondent said “We think it would be a great fit for your site, providing valuable insights for your audience.” Do you agree?
  • Dungeons and Dragons. The writer told us that “Your site is a treasure trove for D&D enthusiasts!”
  • Smart irrigation systems for homeowners
  • Home Improvements and Home Renovation, Eco-Friendly lifestyle, Home Appliances Technology, and Greener Future.
  • How to Find the Best Family Lawyer for Your Legal Needs
  • Essay writing
  • Investment ideas and growing your business online.
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The Voice

Maiden Speeches: Sarah Gibson, MP for Chippenham

By The Voice | Thu 3rd October 2024 - 8:56 am

Sarah Gibson, newly elected Lib Dem MP for Chippenham, made her maiden speech in the Building Safety and Resilience debate on 11 September.

The text is below:

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Mark Valladares

2 October 2024 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 3rd October 2024 - 7:30 am
  • Conservative leadership: To call this contest scraping the bottom of the barrel would be an insult to barrels
  • Davey: New Govt must make repairing our broken relationship with Europe a priority
  • Welsh Government urged to adopt successful family court model – Substance use among parents dropped by over a quarter
  • McArthur comments on prisoner early release figures

Conservative leadership: To call this contest scraping the bottom of the barrel would be an insult to barrels

Responding to the speeches made by the four Conservative leadership candidates at their party’s conference today, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:

To call this contest scraping the bottom of the barrel would be an insult to barrels. Every day this leadership contest goes on reminds the public why they voted to kick the Conservatives out of office.

The leadership candidates are competing in an undignified race to the bottom, suggesting maternity pay should be slashed, civil servants should go to prison and insulting the armed forces. All four of them are failed former Conservative ministers, refusing to take responsibility for their appalling record in government.

Davey: New Govt must make repairing our broken relationship with Europe a priority

Responding to Keir Starmer’s meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey MP said:

After years of Conservative failure, this new Government must make repairing our broken relationship with Europe a priority. That starts with a common sense agreement on a Youth Mobility Scheme between the EU and the UK.

For years, Conservative Ministers not only ignored our closest neighbours but treated them with contempt.

The Conservatives’ shoddy deal with the EU has harmed farmers, fishers and small businesses across the country. It’s time to tear down the red tape erected by the former Conservative Government and give a boost to Britain’s economy, by working closely with our European allies once again.

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Mark Valladares

1 October 2024 – yesterday’s press releases (part 2)

By Mark Valladares | Wed 2nd October 2024 - 11:45 pm
  • Veterans facing homelessness reaches five-year high
  • Record high levels of people stuck in hospital
  • August A&E waiting times the worst on record for the month
  • Operations activity still well down on pre-pandemic levels
  • Cole-Hamilton comments on NHS dental deregistration in Dumfries & Galloway

Veterans facing homelessness reaches five-year high

Commenting on the news that in 2023/24 there were 935 homeless applications which included veterans, the highest figure since 2018/19, Scottish Liberal Democrat Veterans Spokesperson Bruce Wilson said:

Our veterans have dedicated their lives to public service and duty, putting themselves in harm’s way to do so. The fact that so many of them face homelessness is an utter disgrace.

No meaningful action has been taken to improve the transition to civilian life for veterans. Instead, service members have relied heavily on the charitable sector, struggling for funding.

The SNP have taken an axe to the housing budget and slashed funding for councils. They’ve completely failed to build the thousands of homes promised for social rent.

Scottish Liberal Democrats would support our veterans, treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve. That’s why we would drastically improve the standard of Ministry of Defence housing and waive application fees for indefinite leave for members of the armed forces on discharge. We would build more homes, bring thousands of empty homes back into use and re-establish social rent as a valid, long-term option.

Record high levels of people stuck in hospital

Responding to new Public Health Scotland figures which showed 2,009 people were stuck in hospital in August due to their discharge being delayed, the highest number of people delayed since the guidelines were updated in 2016, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

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Mark Valladares

1 October 2024 – yesterday’s press releases (part 1)

By Mark Valladares | Wed 2nd October 2024 - 10:15 pm
  • Energy price rise: “crushing blow” to pensioners worried about having to choose between heating and eating
  • New poll shows 1 in 4 Brits have avoided calling an ambulance over fears it would take too long to arrive
  • Rennie responds to Accounts Commission Report
  • McArthur responds to Scottish Government evidence submission on assisted dying

Energy price rise: “crushing blow” to pensioners worried about having to choose between heating and eating

Responding to the Ofgem energy price cap rise of 10% from £1,568 to £1,717 coming into effect today as Winter Fuel Payments worth between £200 and £300 are being cut for the vast majority of pensioners, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP said:

Today’s price rise will be a crushing blow to all those pensioners who are wondering how they will get through the coming months without having to choose between heating and eating following the Winter Fuel Payment cuts.

The Conservative Party proved themselves utterly unfit to govern and we recognise that the new government must clear up their mess, but to cut Winter Fuel Payments for vulnerable pensioners in the midst of a cost of living crisis with energy bills rising sharply again, is the wrong thing to do.

That is why the Liberal Democrats have opposed these cuts every step of the way and will continue to do so until the government brings forward a fairer plan.

It is not too late for the government to think again and ensure vulnerable pensioners get the support they need.

New poll shows 1 in 4 Brits have avoided calling an ambulance over fears it would take too long to arrive

  • One in four (25%) Brits who needed to visit A&E but did not call for an ambulance called for a taxi, one in five (18%) walked to A&E and 17% chose to stay at home rather than get the treatment they needed
  • Half of Brits worried they will face a 12-hour wait in A&E if NHS hit by another winter crisis
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Caron Lindsay

LibLink: Donna Harris on improving equality in maternal and neonatal outcomes

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 2nd October 2024 - 8:36 pm

Layla Moran, Hina Bokhari with LDW members after maternal inequality debate

One of the most moving and powerful debates at our recent Brighton Conference was on a motion from the official Lib Dem Women organisation on improving the inherent inequality in neonatal and maternity care.

I wrote about the debate at the time:

Lib Dem Women had put forward a motion on tackling inequality in pregnancy and neonatal care. Some of the stories of maternal and pregnancy loss were shocking,  and the higher rates among black and Asian communities shameful.  Laura Gordon told a terrible story about the death of a young refugee who didn’t get the care she needed and died. Maybe if she had had an interpreter, her life might have been saved. There’s no sign of Labour improving things because of the lack of money. As Tam Langley said “We have to invest in babies who can’t wait for the economy to recover.”

Donna Harris has written an article for Comment Central about the motion and why it was needed.

espite being the second-largest economy in Europe, the UK has a higher infant mortality rate than 26 of its European neighbours, earning a troubling reputation as the infant mortality capital of Europe. How is this possible? These deaths are preventable. These tragedies are avoidable. Yet, nearly half of our maternity services are rated as “inadequate” or “requiring improvement” by the Care Quality Commission

The motion called for those who had suffered pregnancy loss to be offered help and support by the NHS after one miscarriage, not three. Donna explains why:

Women who suffer miscarriages often face not only the grief of losing their babies but also often endure traumatic medical interventions. Their pain and trauma are often dismissed, swept under the carpet as if it never happened. In the National Health Service, a woman must endure three miscarriages before being referred to a consultant. It is little surprise that many women who experience pregnancy loss suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder. This policy must change now!

The figures on infant mortality for black and asian mothers and babies babies compared to white mothers and babies are shocking:

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The Voice

Lib Dem MPs comment on Middle East escalation

By The Voice | Wed 2nd October 2024 - 9:22 am

If any of us aren’t pretty scared and worried by what is going on in the Middle East, we probably should be.

Lib Dem MPs have been reacting to events as Israel steps up its actions against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran attacks Israel.

And all of this, at the heart, are people facing a humanitarian disaster, living in the most appalling conditions without food or shelter.

On Twitter this morning, Layla Moran said:

All my life my grandparents warned that if we didn’t achieve peace in Palestine it would risk wider war. With Iran’s actions overnight it seems we are inching closer to chaos rather than closure. I am so scared for my family and the future of the region. I pray I’m wrong to be.

On Iran’s attacks, Ed Davey said:

Liberal Democrats totally condemn Iran’s attacks on Israel. My thoughts are with all innocent civilians – in Israel and across the region – who are sheltering tonight.

The UK Government must do all it can to bring the region back from the brink of all out war, working closely with our allies. Too many innocent civilians have already been killed.

We must keep our focus on securing a lasting peace and a two state solution. Only diplomacy can deliver the security across the region that people so desperately need with the hostages home to their families and an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

On Monday, Calum Miller, our new Foreign Affairs spokesperson wrote to Foreign Secretary David Lammy about the deepening crisis:

He said:

We must pursue the conditions for peace despite the bleak outlook. I’ll continue to urge the Government to adopt the proposals made by Liberal Democrats at our conference earlier this month.

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Mo Waqas

Israel’s dilemma: War and ideology

By Mo Waqas | Wed 2nd October 2024 - 7:30 am

While attending a business conference at the Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, I received the news that Israel had demolished a six-tower complex.Among these towers, the infamous Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, was reportedly taking refuge in a bunker situated 80 feet underground. The Israeli military employed F-15 jets equipped with bunker-buster bombs to execute this strike, effectively targeting the underground stronghold. My immediate reaction was one of concern, fearing for the region’s stability and the safety of its people. In that moment, I couldn’t help but sense that this conflict might become Israel’s “Dirty War” (La Sale Guerre). Unlike the approach of Charles de Gaulle, Netanyahu seemed to have found his “Ho Chi Minh” in Nasrallah; however, the question remains – how many “Ho Chi Minhs” does Hezbollah harbor?

This episode has shed light on the reality that the “Axis of Resistance” comprises ragtag militias united by a single factor: ideology. Israel’s current strategy relies heavily on “shock and awe,” yet history suggests that such tactics rarely yield long-term success, even in Gaza, which remains tightly controlled by Israel. Despite being surrounded, Hamas continues to operate. It’s important to clarify that I’m not glorifying these groups but rather examining the unfolding situation to understand Israel’s potential trajectory. From my perspective, the outlook is worrying.

Israel stands as the sole democracy in the region, sharing values and interests with the United Kingdom, making it a close ally. Yet, since this conflict began, Israel appears to be playing into Tehran’s hands. The fact is, neither Iran nor its allies in the “Axis of Resistance” possess the military strength to take on Israel head-to-head. Still, to borrow a quote from Ho Chi Minh: “The tiger may not stand still and allow the elephant to crush him. But the tiger will leap upon the elephant, and then jump back into the jungle; and as the elephant pursues him, the tiger will attack again and again until the elephant bleeds to death.” This analogy accurately depicts Iran’s strategy: bleeding Israel economically and militarily through indirect means.

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Not all politicians are the same

By Mark Morris | Tue 1st October 2024 - 1:12 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Almost 44 years ago the 39th US President left the White House.

Quite incredibly that President is still alive and today he celebrates a very special birthday.

Yes, today is the 100th birthday of Jimmy Carter.

As a President it must be said he faced many formidable challenges, including an energy crisis, high levels of inflation and the Iran hostage crisis. Yet, just because he was a one term President it would be a mistake to overlook some important achievements.

In 1977, Carter brokered two US treaties with Panama. The next year he presided over a round of meetings between Egypt’s President Anwar el-Sadat and Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David. The outcome was the Camp David Accords which ended the state of war between the two nations that had existed since 1948.

Jimmy Carter was also ahead of his time in recognising the importance of renewable energy and as a practical example ensured solar panels were installed at the White House. And along with his wife Rosalynn he was a pioneer in advancing mental health.

Since 1981 Jimmy Carter could have made a personal fortune from corporate work and after dinner speeches. Instead, he and his wife chose a very different path.

After leaving the White House Jimmy Carter established a career as a diplomat, humanitarian and author, pursuing conflict resolution in countries around the globe. This article simply doesn’t have the space to provide the full list of countries that President Carter and the Carter Center have undertaken conflict mediation in – but do take a look at the Carter Center website to obtain just a glimpse of is incredible work. Its work has also extended to fighting disease, leading the international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, with the bold ambition that it becomes the second human disease in history, after smallpox, to be eradicated. That ambition is tantalising close to being reached.

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Samuel Jackson

Why we should condemn the US Electoral College

By Samuel Jackson | Tue 1st October 2024 - 11:29 am

We are five weeks away from Election Day in the US, and things have certainly been eventful in the presidential race, to put it mildly.

This election may be American democracy’s greatest test. With revenge in mind, and with a guide to converting the federal bureaucracy into a conservative vehicle and removing many checks on presidential power vis-a-vis Project 2025, a second Trump presidency would be dramatically worse than his first and may well signal the end of American democracy. Even in defeat, his refusal to accept the results in a tight race will likely instigate political violence as it did on 6 January 2021, but across multiple states. Since the United States is one of the greatest military and economic powers on Earth, as well as an ally and proudly democratic country, such outcomes would be deleterious to the rest of the free world.

The Electoral College is the key to Donald Trump’s success in 2024. Despite Kamala Harris’s nationwide three-point lead, this may be insufficient to overcome its distortive effects. However, Trump may not even need to win states’ popular votes to win the Electoral College. Learning from 2020, pro-Trump Republican strategists have endeavoured to put in place election officials who will refuse any state-level result other than a Trump win to enable the appointment of Republican electors by Republican-controlled legislatures.

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Paul Walter

Happy 100th birthday to Jimmy Carter

By Paul Walter | Tue 1st October 2024 - 9:30 am

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Caron Lindsay

Former Scottish Lib Dem Press Officer Neil Mackinnon dies suddenly

By Caron Lindsay | Mon 30th September 2024 - 11:58 pm

I am so incredibly sad tonight.

I woke up from a nap this afternoon to see the dreadful news that Neil Mackinnon, our first Press Officer in the Scottish Parliament, had died suddenly and unexpectedly.

I know that many of our Scottish readers will share my shock and sadness.

When I first came back to Scotland 24 years ago, Neil was one of the first people I got to know.  He had a really funny dry wit and he was one of the wisest liberals. He was very good at sitting me down and trying to talk me round to the establishment position and sometimes he even managed it.  I’ll never forget the raising of his eyebrow when I did something he disapproved of – and the twinkle in his eye that gave away that he wasn’t really that mad.

He stopped working for the party about 15 years ago and went off to work for the Edinburgh Fringe and then the UK Government in various guises but he was still a supporter and constructively critical friend of the party. He could phone canvass like a demon, too.

There is something going on in my life at the moment that I know he would have liked and I had been meaning to message him to tell him. Lesson for today is when you have the thought to contact someone, just bloody do it there and then.

Alongside Neil in the Scottish Parliament worked a young Alex Cole-Hamilton. He paid tribute to Neil tonight. Here’s the press release in full:

The Scottish Liberal Democrats regret to report that our friend and former colleague Neil Mackinnon has died suddenly and unexpectedly.

Neil worked for the Scottish Liberal Democrats in the press office for the period from before the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 until 2009. After leaving Holyrood he went on to enjoy a career with the Edinburgh Fringe, and then as a project manager first with HMRC and then the UK Government.

Neil was a familiar figure to those working in Scottish politics, especially at Holyrood and will be sorely missed.

He died last week suddenly and unexpectedly. Formal legal processes still need to be undertaken before any further news or announcements can be made.

The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“Neil was a fierce defender of liberalism and he was our friend. An important voice in the early days of the Scottish Parliament, Neil was liked immensely across the political spectrum and throughout the press pack.

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Mark Valladares

30 September 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 30th September 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Truss: Conservative Leadership contenders must pledge to strip her of £115,000 allowance
  • Scotland’s trains are ‘erratic and expensive’ under the SNP
  • Rennie responds to MUP rise
  • Scot Lib Dems respond to Truss leadership claims

Truss: Conservative Leadership contenders must pledge to strip her of £115,000 allowance

Responding to Liz Truss’s appearance at Conservative Party Conference, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:

Liz Truss’s failure to recognise the economic vandalism that she oversaw is a kick in the teeth to all those who endured their mortgage rates spiralling and were worried about losing their homes as a result of her disastrous policies.

It’s outrageous that instead of calling out the damage that she did, the Conservative Party actually allowed her to stand as one of their candidates at the General Election.

Every Conservative Party Leadership candidate must condemn Truss’s terrible record and pledge that they would strip her of her ex-PM allowance of up to £115,000 a year.

Scotland’s trains are ‘erratic and expensive’ under the SNP

Scottish Liberal Democrats have highlighted their plans to make Scotland’s rail services cheap, reliable and frequent as the SNP bring back peak fares today (Monday 30th September), with passengers now being hit by higher ticket prices and a reduced timetable.

In August, the SNP government announced that it would reintroduce peak rail fares, meaning that the price of the top ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh has now risen by 8.6% to £31.40.

This hike comes as ScotRail continue to operate a temporary timetable with far fewer trains available. In total, about 600 services were slashed from the ScotRail timetable, with only around 50% of services running on Sundays.

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Ben Wood

The LibDems, Left or Right: A Reply to Buddy Anderson

By Ben Wood | Mon 30th September 2024 - 2:15 pm

In his recent article, Buddy Anderson argues that the Liberal Democrats are not going to replace the Conservatives if our party moves further to the economic left. Of course, it is worth questioning the premise. Do we really want to replace the Conservatives? Nevertheless, if we take up the notion for the sake of argument, what would it actually mean? Buddy is of course right that just because an Orange Book Liberalism didn’t thrill electors after 2010 doesn’t mean it could never work. Quite so. However, the theory of Tory displacement Buddy favours, assumes a straightforward link between Conservative voters and market-led liberalism. The latter position has a number of strands, but they might be neatly divided into the following policy preferences:

  • Keep state spending at or below 35% of GDP
  • Keep taxes as low as possible
  • Reduce the liabilities on the public balance sheet by contracting-out public services
  • Remove regulatory barriers to economic growth

It is often supposed that Conservative voters display a close identification with all these positions. They point to Thatcher’s three election wins, as undeniable proof of the proposition. However, in reality, the traditional Conservative base (from say 1979 to 2019) was a complex coalition of overlapping interests, which coalesced around the notion of ‘popular Capitalism’. Inside the Thatcher tent financers jostled with small business owners, farmers jockeyed with moral conservatives, ruthless ad men jostled with blue-rinse WI fundraisers. Thatcher’s genius was her ability to neutralise dissent in her coalition by conceding limited collectivism (in the case of institutions like the NHS and the Royal Mail), offering something to cultural Conservatives e.g. Victorian values, while enthusing the economic Right by privatising public assets.

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Mark Valladares

28-29 September 2024 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 29th September 2024 - 10:00 pm
  • Conservative Leadership Race: Candidates have spent years defending the indefensible
  • Badenoch’s maternity pay comment: Another example of Tory sleaze and scandal
  • Cole-Hamilton addresses King at 25 years of the Scottish Parliament event

Conservative Leadership Race: Candidates have spent years defending the indefensible

Commenting after the four Conservative leadership candidates spoke with Trevor Phillips, ahead of the Conservative Party Conference, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:

As James Cleverly said himself, people wanted the Conservatives out of Government and this dire set of candidates has made it crystal clear why.

From the Conservative’s Partygate and PPE scandals to their disastrous mini budget, every one of the Conservative’s leadership candidates has spent years defending the indefensible.

The British people have had enough of Conservative sleaze and scandal. They’ve had enough of seeing their health services and economy trashed. And that’s why so many former life-long Conservative voters backed the Liberal Democrats at the last election.

People want urgent action to fix the health and care crisis not Conservative leadership candidates sniping from the sidelines. That’s why Liberal Democrats are calling for a Budget to Save the NHS and Care and working day in day out to be the constructive opposition the country needs and deserves.

Badenoch’s maternity pay comment: Another example of Tory sleaze and scandal

After Kemi Badenoch’s comments on maternity pay earlier today, Liberal Democrat Women and Equalities Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said:

It is this kind of out touch comment that shows yet again why the Conservatives got trounced at the last election.

The Conservative Party should focus also on championing policies that support British families, rather than the constant Tory sleaze and scandal we’ve become all too familiar with.

The Liberal Democrats’ proposals would give new parents the choice and flexibility they need, including boosting statutory pay for new parents, and a new ‘dad month’ to help more fathers take time off work to be with their new baby during the first year.

Cole-Hamilton addresses King at 25 years of the Scottish Parliament event

Speaking as he addressed Their Majesties The King and Queen to mark 25 years since the opening of the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

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Freddie Jewitt

All the homes we will ever need – a permanent fix for the housing crisis

By Freddie Jewitt | Sun 29th September 2024 - 8:27 am

I have a proposal on how to permanently solve the UK’s housing crisis, forever. 

This proposition rests on two arguments:

  1. Unlike all of history, our population is not going to continue to grow. The ONS forecasts that the population of the UK will peak in the early 2040’s at 71m. 
  2. It follows that the number of homes needed will similarly peak.

For maximum economic benefits and happiness, we want these homes to be built where people want to live and work. This is predominantly in the south east, where planning permission is constrained by the Green belt. 

My proposal is that we build on the Green belt. 

The old fear: it’s a slippery slope – grant planning permission for an inch and they will concrete over miles, until all the beauty is gone. 

However, if we accept that peak housing is within our sight, we can slough off this fear, like a hermit crab, and confidently scuttle into our final and forever shell. 

But how much of the Green belt would need to be built on? Worst case: assuming 100% of the homes are wanted in the southeast, ignoring the 100k’s of new homes already in the pipeline, assuming people continue in wanting to live in ever smaller households (2.3 by 2040) and that we decide we want roomier houses and gardens than the legislation currently allows (15 per hectare vs 30). We would need 2,200,000 homes. Rounding up the worse case, that would require building on 10% of the Green belt. Worst case.

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NewsHound

LibLink Steffan Aquarone Westminster, an organisation ripe for transformation

By NewsHound | Sat 28th September 2024 - 11:55 am

Our 57 new MPs have spent the Summer representing their constituents, writing to ministers and getting used to Westminster traditions and rituals.

North Norfolk MP Steffan Aquarone has written for Radix about his first impressions of Westminster and he’s identified a whole stack of things that need to change.

The Houses of Parliament are sinking into the Thames. Many dozens of offices were condemned upon their vacation by outgoing MPs. There are electrical and water hazards only a few metres underfoot, and the whole thing will cost billions to fix – not least because MPs are insistent they stay in the building while it happens.

But there is an even greater urgency to transform the way the organisation operates if we’re to bring about the change this country badly needs.

The layout needs updating for a start:

Rather than being designed around main thoroughfares, the grand corridors are built around the ritual ceremony that opens Parliament. The layout was set in a pre-digital age when runners carried messages between chambers, meaning the fastest way from the new bit to the old is via sets of narrow stairs.

Instead, a modern internal design is needed, where the main thoroughfares join together areas most frequently used by MPs and staff going about their business, with plenty of space to step aside and benefit from chance conversations and exchanges, privately but safely.  MPs stuck in small individual offices is a less ominous, but no less outdated, example of pre-digital working practices.  Opposite Westminster, the York Road offers a striking range of modern, collegiate working environment that could serve as nearby inspiration.

He has some thoughts on how the structure of Government inhibits it:

Modern organisations are customer centric; their bosses oversee key functions that are aligned to their customers’ or users’ journeys.  They are no longer siloed by functions that mirror operational processes (and are more convenient for the organisation than its customers).  Government needs Secretaries of State for Prosperity and Wellbeing, for the Citizen Experience, and for Data and Privacy, if it’s going to respond to the needs of the modern world, not catch-all Secretaries of State for Agriculture, Health, or Local Government.

Government needs innovation and the capacity to defy convention:

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