Doomsday predictions in the media that Liberal Democrats are set to lose all our MEPs to UKIP are wide of the mark. The closer we get to the Euro elections in May the greater the opportunity for us to win support from the substantial minority of voters who are pro-Europe.
Yet there is no doubt the threat of UKIP is a substantial one. And just as Nigel Farage is boxing clever we Lib Dems need to get smarter about our strategy. Our Euro-slogan ‘In Europe, In Work’ is a powerful statement about …
We reported last week the news that two Conservative Councillors have joined the Liberal Democrats in Winchester.
This week a former Conservative cabinet member at Huntingdonshire District Council, Colin Hyams, has announced he’s walked out on his party to join the Liberal Democrats:
Cllr Hyams said he decided to join the Liberal Democrats because he was impressed by the way they worked for Godmanchester. He said he did not plan to leave the Conservative group on the town council formally, but this would depend on the response from the party.
Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Mike Baker said: “I respect
…
I wrote last October about election expert Lewis Baston’s forecast for the next election, based on his analysis not only of the polls, but also of the trends in the ‘swing seats’, the battlegrounds which, in a first-past-the-post voting system, actually matter. His forecast for May 2015 was that Labour would edge the Tories by 36% to 34%, with the Lib Dems on 16%, and relatively few seats changing hands.
Over at Progress Online, Lewis has returned to the fray, and asked the question, ‘How will the Lib Dems actually do?’. Here’s his conclusion:
It is always troublesome to translate
…
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 750 party members responded – thank you – and we’ve been publishing the full results.
(There were a couple of results I ran out of time to publish during the Christmas holiday period – I’m publishing them this week.)
Thinking about grammar schools and schools that select pupils by ability, which of the following best reflects your views?
…
Interesting news from Yorkshire, where controversial Tory MP Anne McIntosh has been de-selected by her local party following a ballot of local party members.
Ms McIntosh has been in a long-running dispute with local officials about her political future. The MP, chair of the Environment Select Committee, said she still intended to fight the seat. Ms McIntosh, who was first elected to Parliament in 1997, survived a similar vote of confidence before the 2010 election and went on to increase her majority to more than 11,000. The MP is reported to have fallen out with the chair of her
…
Here’s a snippet from Ukip’s 2010 general election manifesto:
“Ukip would place a maximum of three foreign players in the starting line-up, as this would free up places for British players in the youth academies of these teams and spur the future development of home teams.”
As Paul Haydon points out here,
That would force managers to make some pretty tough decisions about who they would keep and who they would give the boot. Where would that leave your favourite team? Who would you keep and who would you send home? Toure or Silva? Negredo or Aguero? Oscar or Hazard?
Well, …
The Telegraph reports that Paddy and Jane Ashdown were involved in a road accident yesterday afternoon on the A356 near Crewkerne. A Vauxhall Corsa clipped their car, and the driver of the Corsa, Mark Hurford, sadly died at the scene.
Paddy Ashdown said:
We were coming back from the station and my wife was driving me home. We were about a mile outside Crewkerne and a car came around the corner.
The move to Individual Electoral Registration later this year has the capacity to enable our party to re-engage with many young and new voters. Given our polling numbers, this is all the more pertinent, as registering young voters increases party loyalty.
There is considerable evidence that if people vote at the start of their careers as citizens, they are more likely to carry on voting. Rather than canvassing people sporadically, we should be targeting 16,17 and 18 year olds. Just like voters of all ages, young voters are attracted to candidates that reach out to them. Partisan loyalty develops during their first few years of being enfranchised. Reams of academic research in America show a young voters’ first presidential vote and party vote influence their party choice for decades. As Rock the Vote explain, voter registration remains the largest barrier to youth participation, but if they are registered, young people vote! Individual Electoral Registration opens the doors to the younger voters.
In any half decent action movie, you have to have a vaguely credible, if unlikely, hero, a stereotypically evil, well-resourced opponent, and some sort of desirable outcome. For example, a mild mannered archaeologist or museum curator, the Nazis and the retrieval of some mystic artefact.
In ‘Indiana Clegg and the Temple of Federalism’, the outcome is the selection of the right Liberal candidate for President of the European Commission, and the opponent is Guy Verhofstadt, a former Prime Minister of Belgium and current leader of the Liberal group in the European Parliament. The hero? You decide…
Today I visited Lib Dem controlled Sutton to announce £2 million of DECC funding for developing low carbon local heat networks. The money will go to 26 local authorities – including Sutton – to develop their own local projects.
By 2030 around 14% of UK heat demand could be met by these networks and around 43% by 2050. While it is up to each local authority to develop their own projects, the idea is that networks source heat from a central source – for example landfill – and then deliver it through insulated pipes to offices, apartments and social housing.
This will provide low carbon heating, and potentially bring down energy bills too.
Speaking on Call Clegg this morning, Nick Clegg said that he personally wan’t in favour of changing the law to ban smoking in cars where children are present. The question came about as a consequence of a vote in the Lords last night. MPs will now be given a free vote on whether to incorporate it into the Children and Families Bill.
Nick made it clear that he would be voting against:
Of course it’s a stupid thing to do to smoke when a child is in the back of a car but you don’t always have to have a law
…
A last-minute government amendment to the Immigration Bill which would give the Home Secretary the power to deprive terror suspects of British citizenship even if it would make them stateless has made all the headlines. Well, the cynic in me suggests that it neatly deflects attention from the abject failure of David Cameron to keep his right-wing backbenchers under control. So far he hasn’t been able to stop Dominic Raab and Nigel Mills from tabling amendments which, if passed, would render the Bill illegal as far as the European Convention on Human Rights is concerned. He is unlikely to …
In the past four days, we’ve seen two articles from journalists saying good things about the Liberal Democrats. On Sunday, Jane Merrick said that we could all stop worrying and learn to love the Lib Dems. Now, Allan Massie has written in the Scotsman that Liberal Democrats deserve praise, not censure.
So, why? First of all, for simply putting the country’s needs first.
In politics, the Duke of Wellington did not match his achievements in war, but he held to one sound and important principle: the Queen’s government must be carried on. This means that you must have an administration
…
A report on the successes and failures in Britain’s Europe policy, published today by British Influence shows that we have the power to shape the EU, if we wield it correctly. The report, by a cross-party panel of EU experts on which I served, shows that Britain has either achieved its objectives or is on track to achieve them in nine out of ten of the policy areas, but it makes clear that we will only be able to achieve more if we lead in a cooperative manner.
There are parts of the EU which need to be reformed. There …
This morning I dropped an email to our new Deputy Leader, Sir Malcolm Bruce MP, asking him if I could have a chat with him so that our readers could get to know him. He called me this afternoon and we chatted for nearly half an hour. We talked about how he sees his new role, how to get more women into Parliament, the European elections, his role as chair of the Select Committee on International Development and the Scottish Independence referendum taking place later this year.
Malcolm Bruce was elected as …
Yesterday the long, and at times tortuous, journey of the Transparency Bill through Parliament came to an end. It will shortly receive Royal Assent. The Bill had many critics, so it is worth reiterating the purpose of the parts of the Bill I was closely involved with as a Minister.
Part 1, sets up a Statutory Register of Lobbyists, to complement the existing regime of quarterly data published by Ministers about which external organisations they meet. Liberal Democrats have successfully pushed for this data to become much more accessible and useful in future, so that all the data is published …
Liberal Democrat candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn Maajid Nawaaz has written for the Guardian about his controversial decision to tweet a cartoon featuring Jesus and Mohammed, explaining why he’d done it:
My intention was not to speak for any Muslim but myself – rather, it was to defend my religion from those who have hijacked it just because they shout the loudest. My intention was to carve out a space to be heard without constantly fearing the blasphemy charge, on pain of death. I did it for Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab who was assassinated by his bodyguard for
…
Yesterday, Lorely Burt was beaten by Sir Malcolm Bruce (some say closely) to the Deputy Leadership of the Parliamentary Party.
A few days ago The House Magazine interviewed her. In the article headlined Wouldn’t it be Lorely?, Lorely explains how her “imaginative parents” chose her unusual name.
There was another child who was named Lorely and as far as I know there has only ever been two of us. They heard about this other child and thought ‘ooohhh that’s a nice name.’
She makes a number of comments relating to women in politics including the “very chauvinistic environment” in the Commons.
Last night we saw Sir Malcolm Bruce narrowly defeat Lorely Burt for the post of Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Party in the House of Commons, to give it its full name.
I’ve seen a few posts on social media this morning from people who have never heard of Malcolm. If that’s the case, then I’m glad that they have the chance to get to know him. I can still remember speeches he made over 20 years ago and for me his closing speech at Scottish Conference is always a big treat for me. You get some idea of the man’s …
If you fancy working for the Liberal Democrats, there’s a good variety of jobs on offer at the moment whether you’re a campaigner, researcher or administrator. Here’s a selection, taken from Work 4 an MP.
First up is a Presidential Intern for Tim Farron’s office. Don’t be fooled by the term intern because it pays quite reasonably, but is only until the end of July 2014. You’ll have to get in quick, though, because the closing date is next Monday.
Liberal Democrat Women are looking for a part-time administrator:
This position will be to support the LDW Executive, including helping
…
On the Today programme this morning, Liberal Democrat MP for North East Fife Sir Menzies Campbell debated the decision by the Government to give sanctuary to some of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees with Conservative MP Brooks Newmark who was less enthusiastic, it’s fair to say, about the idea.
Of course it’s a question of humanity and we should not allow the argument about immigration to stand in the way of our responsibility and we should not allow Mr Nigel Farage to set our moral compass in this matter.
Newmark said that if Britain was giving more money than other EU countries, we shouldn’t feel obligated to take in refugees as well. You could hear the exasperation with such an insular, uncompassionate attitude in Sir Menzies’ voice:
These are not mutually exclusive. The fact that Britain has given £600 million is something of which we can legitimately be proud. We’ve also been part of the political effort going on at the moment in Geneva to try and find a political settlement out of this terrible morass. But none of that, however praiseworthy it is, can be regarded as being inconsistent with exercising the kind of humanity which legitimately might be expected of a permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations.
The Pupil Premium – money targeted at children from low-income households – is the Lib Dems’ flagship education policy. By the end of the Parliament, it will be worth £2.5 billion, cash given directly to schools to spend as they wish on improving attainment outcomes.
Is it working? That’s the question being asked, given the news that the attainment gap at age 16 – the difference between GCSE results achieved by pupils eligible for free school meals and all other pupils – increased very slightly last year. In fact, results for both low-income pupils and all other pupils improved; …
At the last election, Liberal Democrats up and down the country campaigned hard to cut taxes for working people and put money back in your pocket. It was our top priority – taken from the front page of our manifesto – to increase the amount you can earn before paying tax to £10,000. This has made a real difference to taxpayers up and down the country.
Since 2003, middle wages have failed to rise with growth. When we came into government, someone working full time on the minimum wage would lose …
Nick Clegg has announced that the UK will give refuge to some of the most vulnerable citizens. No figure has been put on how many as they are focusing on need, not quotas, but it will mean that many woman and girls who face the risk of sexual violence, for example, will be able to come to this country. The Government will work with the UN High Council for Refugees to determine who is in most urgent need and they will be brought here over the next few months. They will include those most traumatised by the crisis.
The UK Government …
Christine Jardine, who was widely recognised to have put in a great performance as candidate in the Aberdeen Donside by-election last June, has been selected as the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Gordon, the constituency currently represented by our new Deputy Leader, Sir Malcolm Bruce. She is pictured second from the right here next to Sir Malcolm.
Christine is a journalist who previously worked in Aberdeen for the Deeside Piper and the BBC. She also spent a year as a Special Adviser in Downing Street.
Nick Clegg was quick to tweet his congratulations, although he needs to learn that the hashtag from that energetic and happy campaign in the Summer is actually #teamchristine:
…..Drum roll…..
Sir Malcolm Bruce MP.
Reaction will be added as we get it.
Update 19:53. It’s definitely a surprising result given that Lorely Burt had said when she announced her candidacy that she had 24 MPs backing her. She only needed five more to have a majority. Why could she have lost a seemingly unassailable position?
Well, Sir Malcolm Bruce is very well liked and respected. Remember what Vince Cable was like as Deputy Leader? Malcolm will not be dissimilar. He won’t always be as on message as Lorely, either. …
When Charles Kennedy was elected MP for the then Ross, Cromarty and Skye in 1983, John Farquhar Munro, the former MSP who died at the age of 79 on Sunday, was one of his key supporters. A friendship that would last more than 30 years was forged. Charles has paid tribute to him.
John’s passing is very sad not only for all his former constituents who he represented so ably for many years, but also for the wider Highlands and islands, where he was seen as a champion.
Since
…
This morning we’ve seen yet more proof that the economy is firmly on the path to recovery. Growth is returning, with today’s figures showing the longest period of growth since 2007. We’ve also had good news on jobs – with youth unemployment down, jobs outside of London up and a surge in new full time jobs.
In Government we’re clearing up Labour’s mess. Here are four reasons why it would not be happening without the Liberal Democrats.
1. Our decision to go into coalition gave Britain the stable government needed to get the country through these difficult times. Despite the endless clamour …
The reaction of the US and EU governments to the crackdown on protestors in Ukraine has been swift. EU governments seem to be considering possible sanctions on Ukrainian officials, the US warned the Ukrainian Government of “consequences” on relations, and the Prime Minister of Ukraine was not allowed to speak at the World Economic Forum at Davos. This stern reaction comes as up to five protestors have been killed in clashes with the police in Kiev over the past week.
Three Lib Dem MPs hope that by this evening they will be elected Deputy Leader of the Lib Dems – the post was vacated by Simon Hughes when he was appointed Justice Minister. The three competing for the post are (in strict surname order) Gordon Birtwhistle, Sir Malcolm Bruce and Lorely Burt.
The electorate is comprised of their fellow MPs – technically the post is Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Party in the House of Commons, though only the first two words of the title are commonly used – with the wider party membership getting to choose the Party President (for which there will also be a vacancy later this year when Tim Farron’s second two-year term expires).
We’ll find out the result this evening, but to whet your appetite the BBC has this two-minute profile of the runners and riders…
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Lib Dems need a 25-year vision that sets out how we’ll change Britain (Phil Wainewright)
Observations of an ex pat: Kompromat (Tom Arms)
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)
Shock as 16 tonnes of soil mistakenly dropped in Shrewsbury
Lord Bonkers' Diary: Fifty Shades of Earl Grey
Torchwood, Dr Who and centuries of history at the edge of Gower
The Joy of Six 1578
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion polls
A Week in Politics #6
Fifty years
Is "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" good advice or not?
Jamie Sharpley 
Caron Lindsay 
tony/Cumbria 
Ruth Bright 
David Barnsdale 
