Newsmoggie

Kirsty Williams interview: “Scary” Paddy, women in the Cabinet and the reality of a Labour government

By Newsmoggie | Wed 30th October 2013 - 12:55 pm

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams has given a lively and often funny interview to Total Politics magazine in which she talks about everything from her success in persuading the minority  Labour government in Wales to implement the Pupil Premium.

What happened to the last person who said no to Paddy?

Anyone who knows Kirsty will know how down to earth she is and that comes across very much in the interview. She’s asked about whether she would move to Westminster and said that Paddy Ashdown has already asked that question:

Paddy says I should think about going to London,” Williams reveals. “He’s

…

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Paul Rowen

Opinion: The National Rail Conference and the strategic case for HS2

By Paul Rowen | Wed 30th October 2013 - 11:58 am

HS2The last few months have not been easy for supporters of HS2. Attending a meeting at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester in September I was taken aback at the rising level of opposition to this keynote Coalition Project.

The opportunity therefore to attend the National Rail Conference at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on the day that the Department for Transport published it Strategic Case for HS2 provided an opportunity to hear first-hand why this project was so important.

Though generally supportive for the principle of HS2 as “good for the north” …

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Kelly-Marie Blundell

How accessible is Federal Conference?

By Kelly-Marie Blundell | Wed 30th October 2013 - 10:14 am

For those who are regular attendees at Federal Conference, you will know that over the last few years, the venues have changed significantly. Being in Government, we’ve seen a shift from open door policy to armed police.

And with this added security, many of us with access needs have found problems. Walking distances have increased, check points have increased and venues seemingly expand every year in colour, size and choice of experience.

When you suffer from a long term condition, it’s often overlooked by those who don’t that such needs can have an impact on your ability to enjoy and make the …

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NewsHound

LibLink: Steve Webb – Issue of pension charges has been neglected for too long

By NewsHound | Wed 30th October 2013 - 8:48 am

The BBC reports on Steve Webb’s planned “full frontal assault” on the charges that pensions companies levy for management of pensions funds:

Pensions minister Steve Webb told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast that the move was just the start of a much broader review into pensions charges.

He said: “We do have powers to cap a much wider range of charges. The document today looks at banning something called active member discounts. That means when you leave a firm they jack your charges up – we don’t think this is right so we will probably ban those.”

Steve has written an article …

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Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone writes … My visit to Uganda: “Disability is not inability”

By Lynne Featherstone | Tue 29th October 2013 - 5:40 pm

Lynne Featherstone in UgandaMore than one billion people worldwide – that’s 1 in 7 people – live with a disability. And last year’s Paralympics reminded us that people with disabilities can achieve incredible feats. But for every disabled person celebrated for their achievements, there are millions more in the developing world who are treated as sub-human, hidden from view and forgotten. They are the great neglect in international development and I am determined to right this wrong.

Last week, UK Paralympic wheelchair basketball star Ade Adepitan travelled with me to Uganda with …

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Caron Lindsay

November AD LIB Review: Burt on manufacturing, Paddick on social justice, new Shirley biography and a gaffe

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 29th October 2013 - 2:00 pm

Ad Lib November 2013November’s AD LIB magazine hit inboxes and doorsteps this morning. I read it online almost all the time now, mainly because I can zoom in and make the text bigger. That’s what middle age is all about. It is good to have the choice, though.

This is the twelfth issue of the successor to Liberal Democrat News. In its first year, it’s produced some illuminating articles. There have been some issues with variety of photos and it sometimes looks a bit too male, but it’s generally been a good …

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The Voice

EXCLUSIVE: Alistair Carmichael and Sheila Ritchie pitch for your Go Sober sponsorship

By The Voice | Tue 29th October 2013 - 12:00 pm

We have been following the often humorous progress of party legend Sheila Ritchie and Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael as they take part in Macmillan Cancer Support’s Go Sober for October challenge. At the time of writing, Sheila is the top fundraiser in the UK and Alistair is fifth. They have raised, between them, over £6,000. When we predicted that they might get to £5,000, we thought were being wildly optimistic. We’ve noticed that when we write about their quest on here, it leads to an upsurge in donations for them both. 

In order to encourage you to donate, and to choose whether you give your money to #TeamAlistair or #TeamSheila, the two old friends have written exclusively for you. The order in which the posts appear was decided by the toss of a coin. 

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The Voice

Derek Osbourne sentenced to two years in jail

By The Voice | Tue 29th October 2013 - 11:34 am

Former Liberal Democrat Leader of Kingston Council, Derek Osbourne, was today given a two year prison sentence in Southwark Crown Court. He had earlier pleaded guilty to 17 counts of possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

 

 

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Opinion: What is with the Lib Dem love affair with leaflets?

By Former Organiser | Tue 29th October 2013 - 10:43 am

FocusI’ve been thinking about this for a while, and am convinced that I am the only Liberal Democrat to feel this way.  Nonetheless, I have to share my feelings with a group of people that will understand, perhaps in the declining, yet desperate hope that I will find someone else who feels this way.  Therefore, I must ask exactly what is with the Liberal Democrat love affair with leaflets?

I haven’t always hated the things.  I remember happily putting yellow leaflets through doors as a 4 year old with my parents, but since growing up I’ve developed an intense hatred of the things.  From printing them, to pulling paper out of a jammed Riso, then folding them, and finally delivering them in the mist, and rain.

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Mary Reid

Nick Clegg’s speech at the PinkNews awards

By Mary Reid | Tue 29th October 2013 - 9:37 am

Last week Nick Clegg was a guest speaker at the inaugural PinkNews Awards, which were held in Parliament. In his speech he referred to the fact that the deputy editor of PinkNews had just proposed to his partner during the ceremony.

You can watch Nick here (if only to find out why Stephen Gilbert was so well placed to rescue a woman from the Thames):

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Paul Burstow

Paul Burstow writes… The care bill must deliver for carers

By Paul Burstow | Mon 28th October 2013 - 5:25 pm

Across the country today, almost a million people are selflessly caring for friends and family with cancer. Their work is incredible and inspiring, and not only means the world to those they care for, but makes a massive contribution to our society. For far too long their role has been overlooked. It is why while I was Care Minister I made sure that the Care Bill enshrines new rights for carers in England.

The Bill rightly puts carers at the centre of care – as equal partners in care planning who, for the first time, will have clear …

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Joe Otten

HS2 alternatives mean 14 years of replacement buses

By Joe Otten | Mon 28th October 2013 - 4:03 pm

The BBC and newspapers are reporting that proposals to upgrade the existing rail network instead of investing in HS2, would lead to 14 years of weekend closures and replacement buses. The cost of upgrading these main lines is not given, but it is worth reminding ourselves of the 1998-2008 upgrade to the West Coast Main Line which cost around £9bn after being scaled back due to technical problems and cost overruns.

Meanwhile Labour continues its lukewarm positioning on HS2, floating the idea of a reopening of the Grand Central line at a cost of …

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Posted in News | 26 Comments
Steve Coltman

Opinion: It’s not just about Nuclear, it’s about Finance

By Steve Coltman | Mon 28th October 2013 - 2:39 pm

Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant - Some rights reserved by John O DyerIt’s been a week since Ed Davey announced the deal to build a new nuclear power station. After a week’s reflection the financing of this deal, especially by the Chinese, has become the biggest talking point. The cheapest way to generate electricity is with coal-fired power stations fuelled with open-cast coal from North America. Cheap, that is, if you ignore the environmental cost. …

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Adam Nathan

Ed Davey forms European green alliance to help Cameron win global race

By Adam Nathan | Mon 28th October 2013 - 12:08 pm

You might not think that the Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change Secretary Edward Davey was key to Prime Minister’s David Cameron’s plans to “win the global race”, but you’d be wrong.

Davey is a key proponent of the need to work with allies in Europe to drive through EU reforms that benefit Britain in the world, something we feel strongly about at British Influence.

While a Minister at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, he set up the Like-minded Group of EU ministers, to drive economic growth in the EU and cut back on …

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Caron Lindsay

Lessons from Dunfermline: A lot more conversation, a little less literature needed in future

By Caron Lindsay | Mon 28th October 2013 - 11:55 am

Campaigning on the doorstep - Lynne FeatherstoneI stand by my view that the Dunfermline by-election result was pretty much the best that we could have achieved in the circumstances. As I said in my comment to that post:

We were squeezed – that much was inevitable, but as Labour blogger Ian Smart said the other day, our vote did not crumble to the extent that had been expected. Both Labour and the SNP expected to be able to help themselves to all of it, and were surprised when they couldn’t.

They tried …

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Joe Otten

Liberal Democrat MPs are the best, polls say

By Joe Otten | Mon 28th October 2013 - 10:33 am

Political Betting reports a poll by Yougov for Nottingham University on satisfaction with MPs in general and with the local MP.

The result that people generally rate their local MP higher than MPs in general is well known, and thought to be due to the fact that one perception relies on reporting, which is usually negative, and the other relies more on personal experience. But this poll also reveals that voters with Liberal Democrat MPs rate them significantly higher than those with MPs of other parties.

MP satisfaction

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Jack Williams

Opinion: Russell Brand – a turgid mess of a manifesto

By Jack Williams | Mon 28th October 2013 - 8:58 am

On Friday this week I was challenged by a friend to read Russell Brand’s article in the New Statesman, after I went on Facebook to casually eviscerate his interview with Jeremy Paxman. I cursed my friend for making this request, which seemed too reasonable to refuse yet to tiresome to enjoy. Below is an edited version of my response.

I have now read the piece and I think it is self-referential to the point of narcissism. Brand’s intellectual ambitions literally reach for the stars. But his self-congratulatory ignorance is exposed by his failure to provide evidence beyond …

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Caron Lindsay

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #350

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 27th October 2013 - 7:00 pm

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 350th 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 (20-26 October, 2013), 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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Caron Lindsay

A Sunday afternoon read – Rosie Wallace: The Sisters

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 27th October 2013 - 4:15 pm

Earlier this year, I talked to Rosie Wallace about her first two novels which I’d devoured in a couple of days over last Christmas.

Her third novel is still a work in progress but the Scotsman featured her short story The Sisters as part of its The Write Stuff series. Here’s a snippet:

The younger one has always been a chatterer. Silence is a vacuum to be filled with whatever thoughts are passing through her mind. As she wraps a china lamp base in old newspaper, she explains how her daughter could have been a doctor if the physics teacher

…

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The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 27th October 2013 - 1:58 pm

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

Dunfermline by-election win for Labour, disaster for the SNP and Lib Dems hold 3rd place (26 comments) by The Voice

Time to do away with Lib Dem Friends of Israel and Lib Dem Friends of Palestine (17 comments) by Leon Duveen

Ed Davey MP writes…  Hinkley Point C – a bg step forward for energy decarbonisation (54 comments) by Ed Davey MP

Clegg on free schools and national curriculum: no more, no less than party policy and that’s for better and worse …

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Caron Lindsay

Nick Clegg’s Letter from the Leader: Two big issues – free schools and energy bills

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 27th October 2013 - 12:24 pm

It would have been very surprising if Nick’s weekly letter hadn’t been on the subjects which have dominated the headlines this week – free schools and energy bills. Although, to be honest, I think it’s the energy bills that most voters are most concerned about and possibly merited a larger proportion of the Letter than they get. Nick makes the case for retaining the green charges which pay for the warm homes discount and home insulation programmes. Ed Davey wrote more about what he’s doing to keep down energy bills on this site last week. The thing is, it’s …

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David Laws

David Laws MP writes…Have your say – the 2015 manifesto

By David Laws | Sun 27th October 2013 - 11:15 am

As you know, Liberal Democrats are unique in British politics as the only party whose policy is developed democratically through a member elected policy committee, member votes at conference and a member voice that is listened to at every level of the party.

The same will be true of our next Manifesto. At the 2015 General Election we have a huge opportunity to break the outdated two-party mould of British politics for good. But to achieve this, we need to develop strong policies that reinforce our values, appeal to our potential supporters and can be delivered in Government. That’s where you …

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Caron Lindsay

Is Nick Clegg looking at all-women shortlists for 2020?

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 27th October 2013 - 10:29 am

From today’s Independent:

Nick Clegg is planning to introduce all-women shortlists for the Liberal Democrats if not enough female candidates are selected in winnable seats in 2015.

The radical policy change, which will upset many activists who believe it would go against the party’s constitution, would be introduced in the next Parliament as many candidates have already been selected for the election in 18 months’ time.

Only 12 per cent of Lib Dem MPs are women, and there are none at all from ethnic minorities. Lib Dem sources said a number of “excellent” female and ethnic minority candidates have already been selected

…

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Keith Aspden

The Tour De France is great news for York but also needs a business case

By Keith Aspden | Sun 27th October 2013 - 9:30 am

Tour de France logoHosting the Tour De France is a huge opportunity for York and Yorkshire, but a time of cuts to local government budgets the delivery plans must be watertight.

When it was announced last year that York was to host Stage 2 of next year’s Tour De France, I was excited. So were most residents of the city.

The Tour is the most prestigious cycle race in the world and reckoned to be the biggest annual sporting event on the planet. With 188 countries broadcasting the event, the media exposure is probably only beaten by the Summer Olympics and the Football World Cup.

Anyone who has watched the event, either in France or when it last crossed the Channel in 2007, will know size of the event and the passion of the fans.

I could go on… for the bigness of the race and the glory of the event is indisputable. However, it appears that in the excitement of ‘the biggest race in the world’ coming to town many key questions and issues have been overlooked.

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Stephen Tall

Liberal Conspiracy is dead – and so too’s the amateur blogger (more or less)

By Stephen Tall | Sun 27th October 2013 - 8:15 am

Sunny Hundal announced on Friday that left-of-centre blog Liberal Conspiracy is coming to an end:

I no longer have the time to maintain Liberal Conspiracy as a daily-updated news and opinion blog, so as of today I’m going to stop. This site will become an occasionally updated personal blog, with the odd guest-post.

It’s fair to say LibCon received an underwhelmed response from Lib Dems when it was launched six years ago, mostly on account of it including the word Liberal in its title but not so much in its outlook. Sunny himself was sport enough to respond to …

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Stephen Tall

Ed Davey nails Labour’s energy price freeze: “Prices go up, small, independent competitors go out of business, the big six is created again. Well done, Mr Miliband!”

By Stephen Tall | Sat 26th October 2013 - 10:25 pm

Here’s Lib Dem energy secretary Ed Davey highlighting one of the many flaws in Ed Miliband’s promise to freeze energy prices in today’s Guardian interview:

ed davey energy prices

(Hat-tip: John Rentoul in The Independent: Quotation of the Day.)

Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 48 Comments
The Voice

What’s being debated in our members’ forum this week?

By The Voice | Sat 26th October 2013 - 5:33 pm

LibDemVoice has two parallel sites. The first is our public blog, the thing you’re reading now. The second is our private members’ forum, which only current Lib Dem members can access.

If you’re a member and want to chat with fellow party members about any issue that’s on your mind, then why not sign up? In addition, you’ll be included in our regular surveys’ of party members’ views.

Here’s some of the most active discussions this past 10 days:

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The Voice

Danny Alexander says there would be no recovery without Lib Dems

By The Voice | Sat 26th October 2013 - 1:43 pm

Danny Alexander by Paul WalterIn today’s Telegraph, Danny Alexander is ebullient about the signs of economic recovery. He says this revival would not be happening without the Lib Dems.

The decision of Lib Dems to form the coalition is the bedrock on which the recovery is being built. Without a government prepared to do the right thing to tackle the deficit and support job creation the progress we are starting to see would simply not have happened.

Some people thought the Lib Dems wouldn’t stick at it. Now they know different. We’ve worked with the Conservatives, not just to take tough decisions, but to make the right decisions for the long term good of Britain.

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Mark Valladares

Readers’ Editor – comments, need it all be so difficult?

By Mark Valladares | Sat 26th October 2013 - 10:51 am

OwlAs promised, this is the first ‘occasional musing’ on our website and how it works. Feel free to join in…

The recent decision by ‘Popular Science’, a long-established American magazine, to, for the most part, simply ban comments from the majority of its online content was a dramatic response to the difficulties brought about when you try to maintain a civil discourse on an interactive website such as Liberal Democrat Voice. And if they thought that scientists could be feisty, they have nothing on the politically active.

…

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Posted in Readers' Editor and Site news | Tagged and | 47 Comments

Boris Johnson is not the only politician to stand up for immigration

By Andy Boddington | Sat 26th October 2013 - 10:15 am

boris and cameronThe Telegraph reports Boris Johnson’s claim that he is the only politician to stand up for immigration.

I’m probably about the only politician I know of who is actually willing to stand up and say that he’s pro-immigration.

Nonsense. I can only guess that Boris doesn’t know many politicians. He even jokes that the only party backing immigration is the Greens. That’s not right and I am sure he knows it. The Lib Dems are the party that takes a positive attitude to immigration, and unlike the Greens, we are part of the government.

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